Bella and the Geek, AUAH
by RebeccaKay27
Summary: Bella Swan is a high school junior who along with her best friend, Jasper Cullen, lives by her own rules. That is, until Jasper's twin brother, and the brain of Forks High, Edward comes into play. Nerdward meets Bitchy Bella in this new and fun fic...
1. Once Upon A Lie

**Bella and the Geek  
**

**Prologue- Once Upon A Lie**

_I wanna touch you_

_I wanna kiss you_

_I wanna feel you in my arms._

_I need to hold you_

_Let me control you_

_Maybe it's right where you belong._

"You are officially a huge ass." Bella Swan yelled as she sped out the doors of Forks High School, trailed by her best friend, Jasper Cullen.

"C'mon Bells." His breathing was heavy and labored after running to catch up with her in the hallway and then speed walking to keep up with her quick pace.

It had been just another boring, monotonous day of high school drama and bull-shit, when Jasper had finally opened up to Bella about his long-term crush on her younger sister, Alice, in the middle of their sixth hour French class.

"Dude, she's my sister… and you just said she was a fine piece! Who says that?" As soon as she made it to her truck, she whipped around, hitting him with her long chestnut hair. "You, dumb ass. That's who!"

"My sister is fifteen… and if you so much as stick your filthy, rotten hands, anywhere near her, I swear to God that you will pay," she spat before jumping into her truck. Before closing the door she added, "And if I hear so much as a peep about you sticking anything else near her, your balls will be castrated, with these hands," she motioned to her own palms, before slamming the door and quickly speeding off.

At first she had no idea where to go, she had skipped her seventh period Bio class with Mr. Banner. Her sophomore year, Bella had taken Chemistry with Mr. B, and it had not taken long for her to learn that he was a complete pushover. Hearing his annoying voice drone on and on every day was like nails on a chalkboard.

She knew she couldn't go home. Charlie would not be happy if he found out she had skipped school again, and Renee, if she was even home, would stand there like a concerned parent, nodding her head to every word that came out of his mouth. No, home definitely wasn't on the itinerary for the day. Instead, she drove out to what seemed to be the only bit of sanity she knew. Her meadow.

Bella cursed under her breath at the thought… Technically, it wasn't just her meadow, at least not anymore. Not since Edward Cullen's sexy self had been taken to that very place and had been thoroughly personally defiled by one, Bella Swan.

Two things about Edward, he was kind of a geek, but nonetheless, everyone knew he was hot. Secondly, everyone seemed to think he was moral as could be, but Bella knew otherwise. She knew exactly how he liked it when her hand stroked him up and down, or when she playfully would flick his earlobe with her tongue. The things Bella knew about Edward would shock some, and appall others, but Bella wasn't planning to tell anyone. She had decided this long ago, because this way she could keep him secretly untainted and to herself.

Although their little agreement came with no strings attached, Bella knew that Big E came to her and her only when it came to satisfying his needs.

The only problem with this little tryst they had concocted was the fact that Edward was unfortunately, Jasper's twin brother. Although they looked absolutely nothing alike, they had sprung from the same womb… that of Esme and Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the most rich and beautiful people in the extremely un-rich and un-beautiful town of Forks.

The only thing that bound Edward and Jasper together was the fact that they were both gorgeous. Not a single girl in town, or the surrounding area, could deny that they, at some point, hadn't wished they were banging one, if not both brothers. That is where the similarities stopped. Jasper was a motorcycle enthusiast, chain smoker, complete partier who was always eager to get into a fight. His competitiveness astounded even Bella, when he tried out for the baseball team just a week prior, and had actually got a spot. He seemed halfway committed to it, so at least he did something in his life to make his parents proud. Was he going to stick with it? That was yet to be seen.

Edward however, had always been the award winning, talented, and seemingly well-behaved child. He had manners, was polite to elders, attended church regularly, played classical piano, and occasionally wore a sweater vest to school. In all seriousness, he was in just about every club, from languages to arts, always had the lead in every school musical or play, and was probably one of the most well-rounded and talented kids Forks had ever seen.

Bella had to chuckle at the thought of the town sign one-day possibly reading, 'Welcome to Forks: Home of Edward Cullen!'

She pulled her truck over in the clearing, hearing the distinct hiss and pop noises of the engine as she slid her key out of the ignition.

Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she quickly made the familiar, near-mile trek through the woods.

As soon as Bella reached the edge of the clearing, she gently laid her bag down, breaking out in a brisk run. Her arms outstretched, she ran freely before laughing and collapsing in a heap on the ground in her favorite spot. Her breathing was slightly ragged as she leaned back; arms crossed behind her head, and stared up at the many rain clouds hanging overhead.

Just another part of Forks that Bella completely hated, was the fact that it rained a good three quarters of the time. Luckily, today had been a rare exception, the ground still miraculously dry. Nonetheless, Bella longed to feel the sun's rays against her skin. Even on the best of days, rain clouds usually hung tauntingly in the sky.

Bella let out a contented sigh as she snuggled further into the inviting grass. Suddenly, she heard a velvet-voice clearly ask from behind her, "Bad day?"

Although she didn't really mind the interruption, Bella didn't want Edward to know she wasn't frustrated with his clear over-stepping of their boundaries. "Edward Cullen, you did not skip your last class of the day to ask me how my day went," she growled, gingerly sitting up, now completely ousted from her solitary reverie.

"That doesn't mean I can't ask," he smiled, sending her his trademark crooked grin.

It was quite clear to Bella that Edward had attempted to further their relationship. He texted her on occasion, talked to her about things she hadn't even asked to know, and tried to speak with her in public. Truth be told, he found everything about Bella completely fascinating; be it simply the way she flipped her strawberry scented hair when she was angry, or the way she had a peculiar response to his every move, she never ceased to amaze and entertain him.

"Why the hell did you follow me out to my meadow- and how did you even know how to find it?" she shot at him.

"Alright Bel-la," he over emphasized her name in his own singsong way. "Is this really the game you want to play today?"

"Come sit your rotten ass down, first." She patted the ground beside her roughly and he swiftly followed her instructions. He had found that things usually worked out for the best if he just did what she said, and asked questions later.

"Now why are you here instead of your advanced, smart kid, physics class?" her voice smoothed out a bit, showing to Edward that she was letting a small bit of her guard down.  
He decided to snatch up any opportunity he had to have a real conversation with her before she went back to Bitchy Bella again.

"I told Mr. Banner that I needed to go to the library to do some independent study on my research project… I'm easily his favorite, so he let me go without asking any questions," he explained.

"But why here?" she asked without the slightest bit of aggravation in her voice. He was making progress, however slowly, but she was always going to be Bella.

"You looked like you were going to kill Jazz, and it piqued my interest to know why the Hail-the-Chief's daughter was once again skipping school." He leaned into her, brushing a hair back from her face.

She grimaced, pulling away from him and sliding over a few inches. "Your brother is a douche, and you are a douche, and the only Cullen that's not a douche is Esme, because everything she does is just fucking fantastic…" Bella trailed off, realizing she was already beginning to rant.

She didn't like that one minute she could be so heavily against any sort of contact with Edward, and the next she'd feel like putty in his hands. When he was so near, she felt her stomach tying up into all sorts of knots and her hands began shaking ever so faintly. He scooted ever closer to her, taking away any distance she had put between them, and then some. He was so close that she could feel his breath against the back of her ear, cool and confident.

His composure with her was far different from when he was around any other person. With Bella, he felt a certain ease and calm that had never surfaced before. "I can be fantastic as well," he whispered low in her ear.

Within seconds, Bella was using one hand to undo his khakis, while the other pushed her hair hurriedly away from her face. She smirked at him, knowing the faster that she got on with it, the quicker he would stop talking. It seemed to be, that blowjobs were Bella's coping mechanism.

He bit his lip, immediately knowing what was going to happen, and as much as he wanted to talk and get to know Bella, he loved it when she went down on him.

Freeing him from his boxers, she began stroking him up and down. He was already completely hard, after all, that was his usual state when he was in the presence of Bella. She sunk her head down to lick the precum of the tip, tasting the essence of Edward. She looked into his eyes, licking her lips greedily, before fully sinking down on his shaft.

"Oh… God, oh, Bella," he moaned loudly into the open air. He was leaning back on his elbows, but soon they threatened to give way, so he let them, lying down against the ground. He twisted his hands in her hair, wishing for a fleeting moment that the plump lips around his erection were actually kissing his lips. But that was beyond the secret and never-mentioned agreement between Bella and Edward. As much as he wanted to touch her, she never let him, under any circumstance.

She slowly took in every inch, reverently sucking and licking every bit of him. As she used one fist to pump him up and down, Bella expertly took him into her mouth over and over again.

She decided to give him a treat, and do something for him she'd never done before. With her free hand, she gently grasped his balls, fingering them lightly.

"Bella… Oh, Bella! …Fuck!" he groaned thrusting his hips up to meet her, causing Bella to jump. She left her hands where they were but bobbed her head up, looking at him incredulously.

"Edward… did you just say what I think you did?"

"Bella! Serious case of blue balls," he laughed and she stroked him a few times to placate him.

"Edward Cullen, you did not just cuss! How the hell do you think you can kiss our dearest Esme with that dirty mouth?" she teased.

"Why did you have to bring my mom into this?" She giggled at his response, and he let out a moan as she increased the pressure her hand was using to stroke him.

"Why do we play… this game... Bella?" he asked through heavy breaths as she sunk back down upon him. Just a few seconds later, he was crying out her name hurriedly, as he emptied himself down the back of her throat. She gave him a few, last courtesy licks and then tenderly buttoned him back up. Grinning smugly, she laid back down on the ground, arms out-stretched.

"Isabella Swan, you blow my mind." He rolled over to look at her, but her eyes were closed. Thoughts of a non-existent reality were floating through her head, one where she could let herself over to Edward, and feel his body next to hers… touching hers. For some reason this feeling had overcome her that she'd never had before. Some strange voice was telling her that she wanted to know how it would feel for his arms to be wrapped around her.

"Can I do something?" she asked meekly, a thing she never had done in her life.

"Be my guest," he invited.

She tentatively scooted closer to him and asking with her eyes for permission, laid down next to Edward, resting her head upon his chest.

With her hair splayed over his shoulder, Edward felt the purest feeling of ecstasy. This was far better than the high he was just coming off, this was a breakthrough, and he could feel it resonating in his chest. He carefully laid his arm around her, testing the waters in hopes that she wouldn't pull away.

"Your brother called my baby sister a fine piece," Bella grumbled, lazily laying her arm over Edward's stomach.

Edward couldn't help but laugh.

"Bella!" the pixie happily announced, bouncing down the stairs of the Swan residence.

"Hey Al, what's up?" Bella threw her bag on the couch and stormed into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

"Where did you mysteriously disappear to during French class?" her younger sister followed her, asking sweetly.

"Why does it matter?" Bella, ever the grouch, spun around to shove in her sister's face.

For the most part, Alice and Bella got along as well as two teenaged sisters could. Much like the Cullen brothers, the Swan girls were polar opposites in numerous ways. Alice was a bright and cheery freshman who was well-know to all of her class (but, who isn't in Forks?) and enjoyed all things girly. Alice was the spitting image of a young Grandma Swan, tiny… and when compared to the rest of the family, that amounted to really tiny.

Alice jumped back, "I was just wondering."

"Jesus," Bella recoiled back. "Alice, I didn't mean to chew you out for nothing."

"Does that mean you'll take me to Port Angeles this weekend to go shopping?" Alice stood on her tiptoes, wishing and hoping for a miracle.

"Oh hell… absolutely not!" Bella tossed a sandwich together and then bolted up the stairs to her room, bolting the door shut. In just a few minutes, Charlie would be getting home for the day. Bella was almost certain that he had gotten a phone call from the school's office this time. They had let her off the hook one or two times more than they probably should have, and there was absolutely no way they were going to let her get away with missing very many more of her classes this semester.

Unfortunately, before she even had time enough to breathe, the cruiser pulled into the drive. The idea of bolting seemed like a great-looking possibility, but today, not even Bella could be that lucky.

"Bells! Get down here!" her father yelled, sternly.

She got up, dragging her feet and trudging down the stairs, until she was at once again on ground level.

"Ask me who I got a call from today?" Charlie asked, his voice calm.

"The President of the United States," Bella deadpanned, rolling her eyes. She hated when Charlie would play these games with her. If she already knew she was going to be punished, why didn't he just do it, and spare her the trouble?

Charlie's forehead scrunched up in the familiar lines that showed to Bella, he was clearly frustrated. "Sorry kiddo, wrong answer. Where are your keys?" He held out his hand and awaited their deposit into his palm.

She cursed under her breath, begrudgingly wrestling them out of her pocket, and dropped them into his hand.

"When you can prove it to me you won't high-tail it from class, you can have the Big Red Beast back."

"Dad, her name is Bessie, you know that." With that, she sent him a look and made for the stairs. "Wait, this is too easy, any other punishments?" she stopped to ask.

"You have to eat your mother's meals with the family for a week." For a moment, his face broke and he cracked into a smile.

If Bella had a soft spot for anyone, it was her dad. Although he could be a hard ass, with the entire façade that came with it, Hail-the-Chief actually understood her. Charlie never butted in on her privacy, or asked too many questions. He was a man of few words, and of little affection, but somewhere along the way, Bella had come to admire and respect him.

"B-t-dub," she popped, "Where is Renee?"

"You know your mother… I have no idea." And with that, Charlie's solemn face was back as he made for the couch, grabbing the remote and flicking on the television.

As soon as Bella got upstairs, she dug out her phone to text Jasper. It was a nightly occurrence that she either: one, visited the Cullen place, or two, had Jasper over at hers. Seeing as she had ditched him mid-school day, they hadn't had the time to make their usual plans.

_Hey, tool! What's the plan for tonight?_ Bella typed skillfully, flopping down on her bed.

_O, so ur talkin to me now?_ His response came only minutes later.

Bella knew that he was only kidding. For some odd reason or another, Jasper didn't care how big of a pain Bella really was, because in the end, they clicked. Bitchy Bella and Jasper le Douche were an unstoppable duo that, when powers combined, were a force to be reckoned with.

_Shut up, le Douche. You know I still love you._ She hurriedly sent back, picking up the plate on which her sandwich remained whole and un-eaten.

_Do you take bck wut u said earlier?_ She read, taking a large bite and chewing ungracefully.

_Uh, no. Castration still probable!_ Bella smirked, devouring the rest of her food in another three bites. It was from there she plotted her escape. The easiest exit was probably the front door. Once Charlie sat down and began watching all his sports yadda-yadda crap, nothing could wake him from his trance. It was as if his eyes were glued to that thing from 5-10, the only exception being the occasional stop for a meal.

Her phone buzzed._ I'm so glad u least went 2 math 2day. =]_

_J-Z, get your sorry ass over here and get me, stat._ She flung herself off the bed, grabbing a jacket, and thrusting her phone into the pocket. She decided that on this very rare occasion, she'd fend off being a total slob, and before leaving, take her plate down to the kitchen.

Her phone vibrated again, and instead of Jasper's response, she found a peculiar message. _So, forgot to tell you, but I grabbed your homework from Banner. Get it when you come over?_ –E

She almost wanted to gag at the sugary-sweetness of his actions. Bella missed class far too much to really care about missed homework. But, after thinking about it, she had to give the guy credit for trying, even if it was in the nerdiest way possible. Part of her was warming up to Nerdward.

She texted him back. _Sure thing… do you have it done yet? haha._

Like clockwork, Jasper's motorcycle pulled onto her street as soon as she walked out the door. Bella hustled to meet him in front of her house, and as she hopped on, he handed her the customary helmet.

"You just don't want me to hit on our Little Al because you like wrapping your legs around me too much. Tell the truth, B," Jasper laughed as they took off.

"I'm beginning to think you don't value your balls," she yelled at him as the wind whipped past them, carrying the sound away. Bella clutched tighter around his waist, fisting her hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as they made the winding trail out of town toward the elusive Cullen residence.


	2. Let Your Body Take Over

_Breathe, This is what we live for._

_So take me by surprise, and never say a word. _

_Oh, Oh you know. _

_Your lips, your eyes, your skin._

_They paralyze me._

_Come on, Come on. Under and over._

A long, winding drive, canopied by entangled trees and assorted greenery led the way to the Cullen's home. Their family had been living in precisely the same spot for well over one hundred years, as one Dr. Cullen would pass on the residence to the next Dr. Cullen upon completion of his medical degree.

From the second Carlisle was born, his fate was predetermined and his path set out before him. No first-born Cullen son had a choice, medical practice ran so strongly in their lineage that one way or another, it would continue.

As Edward and Jasper were twins, it was a complete roll of the dice as to which of Carlisle's sons would be the next Cullen to wear the proverbial white coat. For a while, it seemed as though both boys had a decent shot at following in their father's footsteps, but as they grew up, Jasper got increasingly discontent with the pressures of his family's standards.

His first act of outright rebellion occurred the day he turned sixteen. Carlisle and Esme had bought both twins matching silver Volvos for their birthday. A mere six hours later, the shiny, safe Volvo belonging to Jasper had been traded in for a top of the line motorcycle. It was that day that finally broke him, and it was that day when he stopped caring so much about his grades, picked up smoking and the occasional bottle of Jack Daniels, and had once and for all given up the manners that once caused him to be acclaimed as the 'non-southern, southern charm of Forks'.

Jasper immediately received a bad reputation that he had really done little to deserve. But in Forks, straying even a little left of center was considered blasphemous and unacceptable.

In turn, women began to throw themselves at Jasper, and he all but constantly shoved them off. This deterred very few of them, as they all wanted to be the first to crack the infamous James Dean in Cullen form.

Jasper's bike came to a stop in front of the large, white home. The sheer size of it stunned Bella each time she visited, as it had originally been built for a Cullen family that needed to house thirteen children. Bella quickly made her way up to the front door, taking the stairs two at a time, running into Esme's kitchen full of enthusiasm.

"There's my baby girl!" Esme cried, putting down her current baking project and wrapping her arms around Bella. "How was school?"

She snickered, "You want to hear what your darling son had the nerve to say?"

As if on cue, Jasper entered the kitchen, clutching at the doorframe and gasping for breath. "How did I know that the first thing you'd want to do would involve ratting me out to my mom?"

Esme grinned, going back to a mixing bowl and stirring the batter inside. "First Jasper, if you quit smoking those nasty cigarettes, you wouldn't be so out of breath."

Bella high-fived Esme and sat down on a barstool, resting her elbows on the island. Around Esme, Bella always felt completely comfortable and at ease. In this kitchen, she was free to be herself, even openly smiling a smile the general public hadn't seen in years.

Edward breezed in, and Bella felt his presence immediately, glancing over her shoulder quickly to see him walk in. She had a sixth sense when it came to Edward, when he was there, she knew. He gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, and picked an apple from a bowl in the center of the island.

"How's the homework going, dear?" Esme asked him, as he leaned up against the fridge and took a bite of his apple.

"Done," he answered curtly, pushing off of the fridge. He snuck a pointed grin at Bella, and then left the room the same way he had entered.

"You know, maybe I'm the devil child, but at least I'm not socially retarded. Would it kill the kid to make some friends that don't involve his textbooks and computer?" Jasper said smugly, going to pull out the stool next to Bella who quickly stopped him.

"Says who?" Bella shoved his hand away, and rested her feet on the stool.

He sighed, lumbering his way around the countertop and leaning across from Bella.

Esme sat her bowl down, "Jasper, I don't understand how two brothers who were so close growing up can live in the exact same house and refuse to speak."

"Easily," he clipped, dipping his finger into the bowl, and licking it. "We have nothing to talk _about_. Banana bread? Awesome," he nonchalantly changed the subject and walked out of the room.

"I don't understand my own sons," Esme confided in Bella as soon as Jasper had cleared the doorway.

"I wish I could help you, Esme… but I don't either," Bella admitted, jumping down off the stool. She gave Esme a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and headed for the hallway.

"Tell Jasper that dinner will be ready in an hour, please Bella?" Esme asked, starring off into nothing, before resuming her cooking. Bella tried for a moment to come up with something to say, but instead turned on her heals and left the kitchen.

Her feet seemed to take her to his door before she had even decided to visit him. Edward's room was up a set of servant's stairs at the back of the main hallway, in a part of the house that kept him secluded from the rest of the family. She went to knock, but the door flew open in front of her, a mischievous looking Edward greeting her eyes with his trademark grin. "Two meetings in one day? That seems a bit unlike you," he teased, moving aside to let her in.

Bella scoffed, entering his room for what seemed like the first time. She had seen it numerous times, mostly from the doorway, but she had never paid much attention to the decor. Like the entire Cullen house, it was decorated expertly according to Esme's impeccable taste. The walls were all a royal blue and built-in bookshelves lined most of the walls. His large four-poster bed was in an alcove at the farthest part of the room, covered in a comforter that was, with no doubt, dyed to match the precise color of the walls. "Shut up, you know I'm only here for my homework." She turned to face him, disguising her curiosity with a stone-cold glare.

"Jesus Bella, you could cause the next Ice Age with those eyes. I was only teasing." He slumped, bashfully making his way over to his desk, picking up a packet of papers and bringing them over to her.

She looked them over quickly, "I thought you said that you'd finished them," she stated dryly. Internally, Bella truly did feel bad about the way that she was treating Edward, but she had to send him a clear message that what they had was purely physical.

"Well I did," Edward said, passing her another page where he had written out all of the correct answers.

"I appreciate it," she smiled slowly, cautiously.

"Do you wanna sit down?" he asked timidly, pointing to an oversized leather couch tucked away in a corner. Everywhere Bella looked there was some architectural oddity or interesting item that helped her to know more about who Edward Cullen really was.

"Sure." She made her way to the couch, sinking into its comfortable, plush cushions.

"How long do you think it'll be before Jay starts wondering where you are?" He sat down next to her, a safe distance away.

"Jay?" she laughed, situating herself onto the couch in her own relaxed way, knees against her chest, toes dangling just off the edge. "As in Gatsby?"

"You amaze me sometimes," he responded before becoming acutely aware of the words that had haphazardly tumbled out of his mouth. "I mean… yeah, you know what I meant. I'm surprised you got my F. Scott reference."

"How is Jasper anything like Gatsby? Gatsby is all love-struck for a dumb whore who doesn't give two shits less about him," she sneered.

"Wow, don't get so defensive. I've been calling him that since we were kids. He was always the charmer who'd do anything for the greater good… I guess you had to know him back then. I think there's a great deal more to Gatsby than his naiveté and lovesickness. He's constantly trying to prove to Daisy his worthiness of her utmost love and devotion… It isn't one of the greatest novels of all-time for nothing," he huffed.

"You're really passionate about this stuff, aren't you?" She pointed to the bookshelves and looked at him sincerely.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." His posture relaxed, and he leaned back on the couch, draping his arm across the back of the couch, almost close enough to touch her.

"I'm sorry for ragging on your favorite literary characters. I guess I just have strong opinions when it comes to books and shit," Bella said. Little by little, she revealed little pieces of herself to Edward each time they spoke.

"You like books too?" he seemed overjoyed, like a kid in a candy shop.

"Some… it's not a big deal," Bella tried brushing him off. She fixed her expression into the complacent stare that she used to shield herself from others' questions.

"You know that look is not going to work with me. You let another bit of information slip through the cracks, and if you think I'm going to run right now, then you're wrong." Edward scooted closer to her a tiny bit.

She flinched in reaction. "That's not it."

"Then what is it?" He brushed a hair behind her ear and stared, waiting for something, anything. He desperately needed Bella to ask him to her, or for her to finally say that their odd sexual arrangement was a mistake. Maybe the best thing for him would be for her to slam the door and say he'd never speak to her again. Anything that would give him a glimpse of what they were, what they'd become, or what they were doing at this very juncture.

"If you haven't guessed, I'm not so good with people," Bella sighed, leaning into his touch, although she knew it was better for the both of them if she didn't.

"You're as good with people as you want to be, Bella." And with that, she melted. Each time her name poured from his velvety lips, she felt her resolve weaken and tumble. He made his move, ghosting whispers against the nape of her neck softly until he heard a low moan escape the back of her throat. Edward's hand moved to grasp the other side of her neck, cocking it to the side and giving him more room to taste her sweet skin.

When he paused, she took her chance, stealing the dominance back from him and pushing his back up flush against the couch before swinging a leg over his lap and straddling him. She immediately felt him getting hard beneath her, and in true Bella fashion, laughed heartily while she ground herself onto him.

"Mmm, Bella," he moaned audibly, and she rewarded him, letting his hands flutter against her ribcage. She second-thought the situation, as she was prone to do, and she made to move away, but Edward's hands caught her, inviting and warm. "Don't leave," he pleaded, "not yet." His words carried more meaning than even he realized. Edward hadn't been talking about only the here and now, but about the future, and the secret things he wished Bella would allow him. Fleeting dreams, like walking down the Forks hallway, hand in hand.

Bella responded by turning off her emotions, and letting her feral tendencies take over. She yanked the top part of his shirt open and watched the buttons pop off completely. "Hope you didn't like this shirt too much," she teased as her hands freely felt his newly-exposed skin. Her eyes locked with his, and Bella tried to explain without words exactly why this was all she could ever give him, a few random gropes here and there, but nothing substantial. Even if when he kissed her neck, her mind had ten thousand other ideas. She caressed him with fiery warm hands, all the while grinding her core against the rough fabric of his khakis.

~*~

Bella came downstairs just in time to start her customary routine of setting the dinner table. She sent Jasper a quick text to say that dinner was almost ready, because she didn't feel like visiting with him. He was seriously beginning to annoy her with his new level of douchebaggery and cockiness.

As the family found their way to the dining room, Jasper sent her a pointed look of concern before beginning to plate his food.

Bella, Jasper, and Esme were all seated for awhile before Edward finally sauntered in.

"Nice of you to join us, are you finished ironing the pleats into your precious khakis?" Jasper sneered.

Esme cleared her throat. "Now Jasper, you know your brother got over his ironing phase a few years ago." The entire table broke into hysterical laughter, as Edward sunk into his chair, clearly annoyed. "Besides, do I need to pull out some of your reenactment photos?" she smirked. Esme clearly had the upper hand when it came to games of this nature.

Bella spit out part of the water she was sipping, she choked and then managed, "Wait, what?"

"Yes, that's right Bella, your friend Jasper here participates in Civil War reenactments all across the country. He didn't tell you?" Edward questioned formally, taking a bite of his lasagna.

"Really?" Bella was dumbfounded. "How the hell did you keep this from me?"

"Language, Bella," Esme chastised, lovingly.

"Sorry Mae," Bella apologized before assaulting Jasper with questions. "North or South?"

"South, always South," Jasper said proudly, raising himself up in his chair.

"You know they lost right?" Bella teased, warming back up to her best friend.

"Not every battle, Bella." He wiggled his brows at her.

"Just the ones that counted," Bella snorted.


	3. Quinn

**A/N:** First and foremost, so many thanks go out to my beta, jadedandboring... she is a wonderful woman who finds time in her crazy, busy life to fix all my mistakes [of which, there are many!]

The song for this chapter is the Sunstreak's 'Quinn'...

And don't forget to check out the forum!

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SM owns all things Twilight.

**Chapter Two- Quinn**

_She slides her hand down across the chair.  
She whispers these words, to ease his fears.  
Invite sensation, ignore regret.  
This complication will be the greatest yet._

_Is this what you wanted or have you just lost control?  
Fight the urge to make the greatest mistake of all.  
When you've reached the bottom, know that I'll understand._

The entire ride back to Bella's house, Jasper kept a firm hand grasped over Bella's linked arms, trying to help her maintain a calm disposition. The later at night that Bella found her way home, the more likely it was that she would run into Renee and those meetings were never pleasant occasions.

Renee had always held complicated relationships with the rest of the Swan family. When she was home, which was an increasingly rare occurrence, Renee barely got along with anyone. Charlie tried his best to be a supportive husband, but when she began disappearing he found it harder and harder to stand beside her. She had been a free spirit since he had met her, going off on her own and doing things with little to no warning. Now, he had grown increasingly further apart from the woman he loved, barely recognizing the woman who woke up alongside him each morning.

Bella and Renee had not gotten along since early on in Bella's childhood. Bella was strong-willed and had no fear in saying what she wanted, while Renee was easily defensive and set in her ways. In Renee's world, Renee always came first, making Bella feel more like the mother than the child.

Alice was an easy-going individual, who got along with nearly everyone. While she didn't openly defy Renee, she silently backed Bella in everything that she did and said. Bella may have mistaken her younger sister as naïve and fragile, but in reality, Alice stood strong with her own sort of defiance, however silent it was.

Truth is, Alice had always looked up to Bella in every action and choice she made. Bella was the only female figure Alice had ever had in her life worth admiring and no matter how fucked up Bella was, or appeared to be, Alice admired her through and through.

As Jasper rounded the corner, Bella sticking to his back like he was her only lifeline, Renee was just getting out of a car Bella didn't recognize. Jasper inhaled sharply and Bella could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest. "What's wrong, Jasper?" she asked as he came to a stop and cut the engine.

The mysterious car made a beeline from the drive; taking with it all evidence of the stranger Renee had been with that night. "It's nothing," Jasper gave her hands that were grasped tightly around him a reassuring squeeze.

"Save me?" she begged, hopping off the bike and giving him back the helmet that he kept with him just for her.

"As sure as I am that Mom would let you move in with no questions asked, you and I both know you should probably face this sooner rather than later," Jasper cocked his head to the side and smiled at her, his last effort to relax her.

"You know, for a douche, sometimes you can be incredibly sweet." Bella kicked some gravel and backed up onto the sidewalk.

"Does this mean you'll give me Alice's phone number?" he jumped the kick starter, and revved the engine of his bike.

"Not a chance. But dumbass, it's the same as mine. We live in the same house, stupid." Bella flipped him off, their customary goodbye gesture, and hustled to the front door of her house.

"I knew that!" he yelled behind her. Bella turned around to respond, but he had already sped half-way down the block and beyond hearing range.

She swung open the door, kicking off her Chucks before looking around for any sight of Renee. A light was on in the kitchen, so Bella tip-toed up the stairs as quietly as she could.

"Bella, come down here?" her mother asked, and she deflated, making her way back down the two steps she had actually climbed.

"Yes, Renee?" she asked tersely.

"You know, there was a time when you used to call me Mom," Renee shot back at her with a knowing glance.

Bella tried to avoid her mother's gaze in most situations, but at that moment she looked her square in the eye, and asserted herself. "Well that day is definitely not today." Bella turned on her heel, and as gracefully as possible ran up to her room, her mother yelling obscenities at her the entire journey up the stairs. It was only when Bella closed her door and turned the radio up so that Renee's shouts were drowned out by the sounds of her favorite bands.

~*~

The next morning, Bella woke up to a small pixie shaking her shoulders. "Alice! What the hell?! I own an alarm." Bella used her morning spaghetti arms to try swatting her younger sister away.

"Bella, look outside!" Alice jumped up and down, moving aside so Bella had a clear shot of her window.

Immediately, she recognized the same sight that greeted her most of the days of her life, rain. "Big deal Alice, it rains every day." She glanced at her clock and shot Alice a death glare, "It is fucking 6:37 in the morning, if no one important has died, you better have a damn good reason that's doesn't involve the weather."

Alice stood her ground, hands on her hips. A lesson she had learned from observing Bella, she could be fierce if she just stood and asserted herself. "Isabella Marie, I am not that stupid. If it matters, I have probably been to class more in my lifetime than you have. I was just coming to tell you that it has been raining non-stop all morning and the roads are flooded so we don't have to go to school. Go back to bed, you ungrateful slime ball!" Alice huffed, sticking her tongue out at Bella.

Bella laughed maniacally. "Is that really the best diss you can come up with? Slime ball? That is so third grade… I mean, would it honestly kill you to just call me a cold-hearted bitch, or unappreciative slut, or even something simple like douchebag? I promise it won't hurt, just try it," Bella egged her on.

"If I didn't love you so much, I would. But instead, I think we should use this day to do something sisterly, like paint our nails or something. We used to do simple things like that all the time," Alice pouted.

When Alice pouted, Bella was powerless to her charm. "Can I at least sleep in a few more hours?" She made a last ditch effort for some sleep.

"Bellaaaaaaaa!" Alice whined.

"Gah, okay. I'll let you paint my nails or something." Bella couldn't say it without smiling, flipping the covers off from her legs, revealing her ghastly pale skin.

"You know Bella, you should really think about a spray tan," Alice recommended, flittering her way about the room and straightening things she thought were out of place. This was just another one of Alice's redeeming qualities, a knack for straightening everything that was out of place. It was also another one of the qualities that Bella couldn't help but be a little irked by.

"It's called porcelain Alice, and it's my natural hue, so you'll have to forgive me. Plus, we don't live in the sunniest part of the goddamn country, now do we?" Bella hopped out of bed, trying unsuccessfully to tame the matted and oily hair that was piled atop her head.

"The sun comes out every once in awhile, what coffin have you been hiding in?" Alice twirled around, coming to help Bella in her quest for manageable hair. "Bella, this would be so much easier if you just used the right shampoo and conditioner, your hair problems are curable. Just a second!" With that, Alice was out of the room in a flash, leaving Bella alone to change into a fresh set of clothes. As she pulled a shirt over her head, she heard the door open and Bella knew then that she was going to be prey to another one of her sibling's experimental beauty treatments.

~*~

"Now Bella, stop struggling. The more you struggle, the more product that's going to get in your eyes!" Alice chastised as she held Bella's head firmly under the steady stream of water. Bella was hanging over the side of the bathtub, as Alice scrubbed something into her scalp. She rinsed once more, and then let Bella up to breathe, wrapping a towel around her head. "Now go sit down at my vanity," Alice directed, gathering various things from the bathroom cupboards.

Bella obliged without much argument. It was not as if she had any way of leaving the house, and if it would placate her sister for even a small while, she knew that it would probably be worth the torture.

She sat down as instructed, in front of Alice's ridiculously over-sized vanity. Alice spent most of her time here, primping and prodding until she was perfectly presentable for every day. Bella sighed, realizing just how fundamentally different she was from her sister. She was the tom boy who never cared for attention, while Alice was the belle of every ball. "What has you looking so somber?" Alice asked, entering the room.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just pondering the suffering that I'm going to have to endure," Bella chuckled, folding her hands in her lap as Alice pulled the towel from her hair.

"You know that you're in the very best of hands," Alice grinned widely at her through the mirror, brushing through the thick chestnut locks of Bella's hair. There were quite a few snags, but Alice seemed to have a magical touch when it came to hair, always getting it to do precisely what she wanted it to do. In no time, silky curls rained softly down Bella's back and over her shoulders.

"Are you kidding me?" Bella marveled, running her hands through her own strands repeatedly.

"Nope, no joke," Alice laughed in her sing-song way, bouncing happily.

"Why won't it ever do this for me?" Bella stared at herself in the mirror, perplexed by just how different she looked due to one small change.

"You like it don't you?" Alice beamed, reaching out her own hand to brush a stray hair back into place.

Bella straightened herself up, "You did a nice job. Now is Bella Barbie time done?" Her smile faded and her hands fell dead against her sides. She recognized the feeling, as the familiar wash of emotion flew over her, carrying away her temporary joy with its tide.

"Why do you do that? One minute you're my sister again, and the next you just disappear," Alice backed away, dejected and hurt.

"I'm sorry Alice," Bella reached out to touch her, and Alice took her hand, grasping it tightly.

"I know, Bella. I know." Alice stood on her tip-toes, giving Bella's hair a kiss soothingly before floating down the stairs and away from Bella.

Bella went across the hall, and back to her room. Out the large window, she could see it was still raining with absolutely no sign of stopping. Luckily, the Swans had no basement and their house was stilted to protect them from flooding. Many of the houses, particularly the ones in their area, had taken extra precautions against the rain, because they knew their homes were in one of the lowest areas of Forks. Down the street, Bella could make out faint red and blue lights, which signaled Charlie had been out on patrol, even through the storm.

She ran hurriedly down the steps, tripping only once on her way to the front door, hailing Charlie as soon as he entered the door, soaked head to toe. "Dad, what the hell!? Did no one tell you there's a flood going on out there?" She quickly helped him get out of his soaked coat and boots.

"No, Bells, they did not. Thank you for finally clueing me in," he smirked, taking off his socks and wringing them on the hard-wood flooring in the entryway.

"Dad! I do not need to be the one cleaning up your puddles," Alice sprung from the couch to grab the mop.

"She makes me sound like a puppy." Charlie laughed. "Can you throw those in the dryer while I go put on a dry set of clothes, Bells?"

"Yeah, no problem Dad." She picked up his wet clothes off the floor and carried them to the kitchen, where there laundry room was concealed as a pantry.

"Bella!" Alice growled.

"What?" Bella yelled back.

"You trailed water EVERYWHERE!" When Bella emerged to see her sister's look of indignation, she couldn't help but stifle her laughter.

"Pixie, it's just water. Water ruins absolutely nothing, except maybe Lauren Mallory. I swear if you threw water on her, that Wicked Witch would melt, fast," Bella mused.

No one on Earth could possibly annoy Bella any more than Lauren did. Well, perhaps her posse that also included Jessica Stanley and Tanya Denali. But absolutely no one else could cause near as much of Bella's fury as those three had. They had made her life a living hell from kindergarten on, and as soon as Bella found her voice in junior high, she had made it a point to verbally smack them whenever possible. To make matters even worse, all three of them had at some point decided to make Jasper their personal target. Each and every one was constantly trying to coerce him into a janitor's closet or corner him in the boy's locker room. Bella couldn't help but wonder what kind of classless girl would even have the nerve to walk into a locker room full of teenage boys, in search of their next peen fix.

"I wish to God that you would test your theory." Alice grabbed a bucket, going back to her task.

Charlie emerged from his room, completely dry except for the wet mop that still sat atop his head. "Here, Dad." Bella flung a dry towel at him, and he thanked her. "So how bad is the damage?"

"We probably won't know until the rain's stopped and we can see straight. Most folks around here know what to do in these situations, seeing as they happen at least two or three times a year, but I still saw a few dummies trying to drive their cars out," he shrugged, sinking into a kitchen chair.

"How many helpless civilians have you saved today?" Bella questioned, starting up a pot of coffee for her dad.

"Only a few. I gotta get back out there soon, I just came home to change." When the coffee was done, Bella poured it into a thermos and set it on the table in front of Charlie.

"Don't be home too late, I wouldn't want to have to send the authorities out after you," Bella teased, leaving the kitchen and trying to find a way to amuse herself.


	4. My Paper Heart

**A/N:** I know… I know, it has been a long time. If there's anyone out there still reading this, thank you for sticking by me even when I disappear for awhile. School and work and life have been absolutely overwhelming and it has taken far too long to actually write this chapter. I'm so sorry, and hope you can forgive me.

The song for this chapter is The All American Reject's "My Paper Heart"

SM owns all things Twilight.

Don't forget to review :)

**Chapter Three- My Paper Heart**

_Please just don't play with me,  
_

_My paper heart will bleed._

_This wait for destiny won't do._

_Be with me, please, I beseech you._

_Simple things, that make you run away._

_Catch you if I can._

"Why has Lauren been giving the eyes to your brother if she's trying to hop _your_ dick?" Bella asked, leaning coolly against the cold, concrete infrastructure of Forks High.

"Now, that's a damn good question. Perhaps she thinks he'll invite her to the house and she can sneak into my room by mistake?" Jasper responded, taking another drag of his Marlboro Red.

The rain slowly began to soak through Bella's jacket, and she shivered, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot as she began getting colder. "Can we go back to class now?" she questioned, for possibly the first time in her entire life.

"Are you nuts? What happened to, 'If I have to spend one more minute with Banner, I'll die'?" He threw his cigarette to the ground, putting out the butt with his worn-out sneaker.

"I want Bessie back. I miss the 'ole girl," Bella pouted, kicking Jasper's shoe with her own. "You know that the Chief won't give my baby back until I start going to class on the regular."

"That old piece of crap? C'mon- riding my bike has been a vast improvement from your usual clunker," he scoffed, shoving his shivering hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Thank God Bessie is not here to hear you, because she would be seriously hurt." Bella grinned, and with that the sound of the period bell was heard over the hum of rain. Slowly, students began lumbering out of their class rooms, trying in vain to shield themselves from the sky's cold spray. Bella observed them all as they squealed and tried unsuccessfully to stay dry.

"You're kidding me," Jasper seethed as he looked in the direction of classroom A. Behind the traditional school building, there were eight outdoor classrooms lettered A through H. A through D were on the left side of the courtyard, while E through H were on the right. As Alice exited her classroom, she was being escorted by Mike Newton, another member of the Forks general population that Jasper and Bella couldn't stand. Her arm was around his, and he was holding her purple and black polka-dotted umbrella up to keep her from the rain.

"That dumb bitch," Bella chuckled, kicking some rocks and heading up the stairs towards the back entrance of the school. She turned around and saw Jasper, rooted in the same spot, staring holes through the back of Newton's head. "Jasper it's not worth it, come on." Jasper huffed, turning and following her back into the heated building. "Are you gonna be okay, kid?" she asked.

"Yeah, no problem," he responded quickly, making his way through the hallway at record pace.

"Slow down," Bella called after him, trying to keep up. In her klutzy fashion, she ran right into a hard barrier. Bella fell on top of another person and her papers scattered haphazardly everywhere. "Hey! Watch it!" she yelled as she picked herself off the floor, dusting herself off. When she looked down, she spotted a copper head of hair trying to quickly recollect his papers as students rushed by. "Oh Jesus," she breathed. "Edward, why can't you watch where you're going?" Bella picked up some of the papers and handed them to him.

He looked up at her apologetically as he accepted the papers. Bella quickly noticed when he finally looked at her, that instead of being met by his jade stone colored eyes, she was met with his thick, plastic black frames. "I got new glasses," he said, getting up off his knees and shaking the dust off of his black trousers. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"No, you didn't." This was the first time Bella had spoken to Edward in public and she tried her best to keep a safe distance between them. Although she wasn't as harsh and cold to him as she would have been to a normal student, she tried to keep up appearances.

Bella finally looked around, realizing Jasper had completely bolted from the building, leaving her behind. "Your fucking brother…" she fumed, walking past Edward toward her classroom.

~*~

As Bella unloaded the contents of her book bag onto the Cullen's dining room table, she looked around for signs of people in the house. "Hello?" she called out finally, making her way through the mail hallway off of the kitchen. She called up the stairs. After hearing no response, she made her way back to the dining room and sat down, pulling her homework from the pile.

Regularly, Bella would let herself into the Cullen house and wait around until Jasper came home from wherever he happened to be. Often times, she would sit with Esme while she cooked dinner, or flip on the massive flat-screen television that occupied the space above the fire place in the living room. As she sat down, she heard a door down the hall opening, and so she leaned her chair back, peeking through the door frame. What she saw, almost made her chair tip backwards.

Edward must have just gotten out of the shower, his hair dripping down the back of his neck and dampening the collar of his shirt, which hung open, exposing a bit of his chest. Edward had a habit of always leaving one button undone, but never any more than that. In this instance although, he had only done up a few of the bottom buttons, and Bella was relishing the time she could spend shamelessly checking out his body.

She righted her chair quickly and fumbled haphazardly through papers, trying to find something she could pretend to work on before he entered the room. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite crafty enough, and he stepped into the room before she could find a pencil to pretend with.

He recoiled for a moment when he first spotted her, "Oh, Bella, I didn't know anyone else was home." He fumbled with his shirt, attempting to fasten the loose buttons.

She got up, and with a sudden rush of courage and unknown motivation, placed her hand flat against his chest. Looking up at him, she saw the unbridled teenage hormones register across his face. Bella's hand crept slowly upward, as she softly ghosted her fingers up his jaw line, until she was cupping the side of his face.

Without pausing for thought, she forcefully pulled his body towards hers, and he reacted, wrapping his arms in a tightly fastened embrace around her. It seemed to him as though the seconds were ticking slowly by, as he felt every small twitch of her fingertips, and her quick heartbeat against his chest. Bella stood on her tip-toes, creeping her lips closer to his, and he crooked his neck to make it easier for her. Their noses grazed, and Bella felt a pull towards Edward's lips, wanting more than ever to feel them moving in unison with hers.

He made no sudden movements, waiting patiently for her to decide whether or not this was exactly what she wanted. Their relationship had slowly been moving away from a purely sexual one into a friendship and he didn't want to over-step his bounds before he even really had a chance.

She took in a large breath, her legs beginning to feel like Jell-O, and her mind beginning to register just exactly what she was doing. She nervously laughed, then whispered, "Do I have to do all the work?"

And with that, Edward felt like she had finally given him permission and he smashed his lips forcefully against hers. Bella grabbed his face with both hands, pulling him even closer to her and deepening the kiss. It was as if an electric shock of energy was rushing straight from Bella's lips, throughout her body to the rest of her limbs, as he impatiently sought entrance to her mouth. She complied, and as they continued their fight for dominance over each other's mouths, he began backing her up against the dining room table.

When her back hit the table, Edward firmly grabbed her hips, lifting her up and setting her on it, their lips never losing contact for a moment. Bella quickly wrapped her legs around him, immediately missing the loss of contact with him. He gave her what she wanted, and pushed some of her things aside, giving himself a place to brace himself.

She finally broke the kiss, gasping for breath and he moved down to her neck, nipping and suckling on the soft flesh there.

"Oh, fuck," she groaned, grinding herself into him.

At that moment, a distant door slammed and Edward and Bella hurried to straighten themselves out. Bella flew off the table, picking up her things that had been pushed onto the floor and throwing open the first notebook she could find, pretending to be engrossed in its contents.

"Leave Bella alone," Jasper grumbled at Edward without so much as looking at him, throwing his bag on the table next to Bella's.

"You know I do happen to live here too," Edward stood up for himself, taking a step toward Jasper. His lips still tingled, long past the sensation of Bella's had left, and he felt more confident in asserting himself.

"Just because you live here, does not mean you can annoy the hell out of my guests every chance you get." Jasper breezed past him, taking a seat next to Bella. Edward looked to Bella to say a word, but she kept quiet, although her internal struggle played out across her face. "What's wrong with you?" Jasper laughed at her.

"You're kind of being a douche to your brother for no reason," Bella barely spoke, under her breath.

"What was that?" Jasper asked, making a show of leaning closely into her and craning his neck.

She shoved him back, "Never mind." Edward, defeated, left the room in silence. He took one last moment to glance back at her, and her brown eyes were staring right back at his. He gave her a quick smile, and she sent back a small shrug before looking away. Although she hadn't stood up for him, she had reassured Edward that things were going to get better. Little by little Bella was letting him in, and although they had a great ways to go before he would be satisfied, for once, they were headed in the right direction.


	5. Living In The Moment

**Chapter Four: Living In The Moment**

_The boy sits down with his head in his hands  
It's a rough trip tonight with his pills and pen  
He scribbles down words in hopes to find answers tonight  
He writes another lyric down on his page  
About a hometown girl only half his age  
Get out while you can don't get caught in his games  
Cause he'll step on the world just to make himself a name_

_-'Living in the Moment,' Almost Arlington_

Alice flittered into the room effortlessly, pirouetting around the couch with a Swiffer in her hand, her iPod blaring the newest Lady Gaga song.

"Hey Al, could you turn that crap down? You know I'm trying to watch the game," Charlie pleaded for the fifth time.

Alice continued her ministrations unaware of her father's request. As she went for another pique turn, Bella shoved her with an open palm, causing Alice to tumble over onto the floor.

"Now what was that for?" Alice rose to her feet and shouted at her sister, pulling her ear buds out of her ears.

Bella and Charlie couldn't help but laugh at her infuriated expression. "Dad's trying to watch TV and you've been playing that awful music for at least twenty minutes," Bella explained.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but I was cleaning this mess of a house." Alice stomped her way out of the living room and both Bella and Charlie turned their attention back to the television screen. A few moments later, a knock was heard at the door and Alice shot out of the kitchen, dashing to the door.

A rain-soaked Jasper burst into the living room and bee-lined for Charlie. "Excuse me sir, but could I have a minute of your time?" Bella wretched back in confusion, as Charlie rose from the couch.

"Of course son, what's on your mind?" He led Jasper into the kitchen and Bella followed, standing at the doorway while the boys sat down across from each other at the table.

"Well Chief, there's something I've had suspicions about for a long time and I feel like I must bring it to your attention before it causes any harm to your daughter," Jasper said quickly without taking time to breathe.

He looked up at the doorway, catching Bella's eyes with a knowing glance. Her stomach turned and she suddenly understood that he must know. Edward must've told him, or he must have figured it out on his own…which it was she didn't know, but one thing she was certain of was that Jasper was fully aware of her and Edward's secret relationship.

"Jasper," she implored, stepping into the room.

Charlie rose out of anger and looked at his daughter, and then back at Jasper. "What do you know about Bella?"

"Bella?" Jasper asked, confused. "I came here to talk about Alice."

"Alice?" Bella leered at him. "I told you to stay away from Alice."

Alice appeared behind Bella and barely whispered a hurt, "You told him what?"

"I told…I told…" Bella pedaled, searching for words. "I told him to stay away from you. You're too young for a guy like Jasper."

"Guy like Jasper?" Jasper fumed quietly, shooting daggers at Bella. Bella looked at both of them aware of the damage she'd already caused with her few, not so choice words.

"Jasper, she's my little sister," Bella sighed ruggedly.

All the while, Charlie had stood eerily quiet amidst the teenagers, watching things unfold. "I think this is a conversation that needs to be had between you three before anything gets said that a father shouldn't hear." He ducked past Bella and Alice, and out of the room.

"Why can't anything just be easy anymore?" Bella cursed, fully entering the kitchen and moving closer to Jasper. Alice followed her, settling up against the counter.

"Life isn't easy Bella…it never has been," Jasper pulled his chair back out and sank into it.

"Can this whole conversation be prefaced by an explanation as to why the hell you're here right now?" Bella asked.

"I was going to tell your dad what a creep Mike Newton is," Jasper placed his head in his hands, looking away from both girls.

"What?" the sisters cried in unison.

"I know, it was a stupid idea, I realize that now. Unfortunately, it's a little too late." He let a hand run through his hair before regaining his former gusto, "But you know what? I would do it again!"

"No you would not," Alice took several steps towards him. "Even if you did have any interest in me, which at this point, I'm pretty confused about, you would have no say in who I decide to see and not see."

Bella tried not to seem smug as Alice ripped Jasper to shreds with her glare.

"Why would I be interested in a little kid?" Jasper shot back, trying to wound Alice with his words.

It clearly didn't work, as she quickly shot back, "Good, because Michael and I are dating and as far as I'm concerned, it's none of your _damn_ business."

Bella was taken aback when she heard Alice curse. Alice could get mouthy on certain occasions, but for the most part, she kept the language strictly PG-13. Turning on her heel, she gracefully walked out the room, head held high.

Jasper fell apart, pounding the dining room table with his fist. Bella moved to comfort him and then backed off, comprehending the fact that he had just gone against all of Bella's wishes, and then to make matters worse, insulted her sister. "Get the hell out of my house," she asked, patiently.

He looked at her with incredulous eyes, "You can't be serious."

"You just pulled a real douche bag move and if you ever want to talk to me again, I swear to God you better leave my house," she said through gritted teeth, holding back the true brunt of her emotions.

"So instead, you abandon me when I need a friend?" He got up and pushed his chair in forcefully before grabbing her arm.

"Jasper, let me go," she tried wriggling away from him but he clutched onto her tighter.

She looked into his eyes, which were devoid of any emotion. She had never seen him like this and it was seriously scaring her. And she did the only thing she could think of to knock him out of his coma. She kissed him.

~*~

Bella trudged through the halls, her Converse squishing with every step she took. The rain hadn't stopped pouring and her shoes had lost the battle with the parking lot's puddles. She rounded the corner of lockers and was almost to the cafeteria when someone caught her arm and pulled her into a doorway cubby. Bella looked straight into Jasper's eyes and saw the hurt and confusion there.

"Good morning to you too," Bella tried to joke, kicking one shoe with the other and wringing her hands nervously.

"Can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked softly, pushing a strand of hair from her face.

"Of course," she answered before following him outside to a picnic table. The sound of rain was heavy on the tin roof overhead and she buttoned up her coat, immediately feeling the cold.

"What I did last night was wrong." He paced in front of her and gestured with his hands. "I can't even imagine why I thought what I was doing was okay…or how I came to believe that I was making a smart decision by coming over there in the first place." He stopped and turned to her, rubbing her upper arms gently. "And for hurting you, I could never say I'm sorry enough."

Bella gave him a weak smile and a nod.

"And Bella, I'm so sorry for just walking out of there after you ki….kissed me." It took him a moment to get the words out, but he did and she could sense the confusion within him.

"Jasper, if I could just expl…" she tried to speak.

"No, it's okay B. I understand everything now." Jasper had always had this odd way of dealing with his emotions. When he was happy, he was nothing less than ecstatically happy. When he was angry, he was viciously angry. He was the same way with decision-making, there was absolutely no indecision within his actions, and he always moved within the extremes. He cupped her cheek so softly, and Bella felt fragile within his hands. "I know you're probably afraid, but I'm not against us trying this."

The voice within her screaming that she couldn't go through with this dulled as he kissed her forehead reverently, an action that was so un-Jasper-like that Bella was in internal panic mode trying to figure out just what she should do. She chose to just keep her feelings quiet, instead of ruining Jasper's apparent reverie.

She told him the truth when she said, "I'm not afraid." And honestly, she wasn't. A relationship with Jasper would be easy. He was her best friend, confidant, and companion in almost every situation, minus the Edward ordeal.

He took his hand within hers, and while it didn't feel awkward, or wrong, it just felt… well, different. They walked silently to the cafeteria holding hands, seeing very few of their peers. When they reached the doors, Bella began to borderline hyperventilate. "Jasper, I can't just go in there, like this," and with that she let go of his hand.

"I understand," he smiled, letting her go without another word.

She raced out the double-doors and when they closed with a giant thud, she collapsed to the ground. The wet steps seemed to be the only thing stabilizing Bella as she fitfully pushed her drenched hair out of her face.

"What's wrong?" Edward appeared through the door.

"I think I just agreed to see your brother," Bella growled, trying however furtively to light her now waterlogged cigarette.

He slumped down beside her, taking off his glasses and wiping the raindrops off of them with his polo. "Well how wonderful…"

"It's not like I wanted to," Bella grumbled, taking his glasses and cleaning them off herself.

"Then why didn't you say no?" Bella hadn't even thought about how much all of this could hurt Edward and her unexplainable feelings towards him. Where yesterday she tried defending him, and had let him into a part of her world, today she was dating his biggest rival, his brother.

"It didn't seem like an option," she replied, handing him back his glasses.

He got up and offered her a hand, his twisted expression speaking volumes to Bella. She grabbed his collar and pulled him in, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He began to hug her back, guardedly, but as soon as he smelled the unique scent of Bella, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He chuckled as she pulled away, "What was that all about?"

"Thanks for being a good friend," she delicately smiled at him.

"So now that you're with my brother… what does that mean for… for…" He didn't want to offend Bella by calling what they had a relationship.

"Us?" She poked him playfully before replying sincerely, "I guess I hadn't thought all that much about it."

"Oh." He looked away and shifted nervously. Bella knew that if it was one or the other, she had to choose Jasper because he had been there for her so long, even if her heart was pulling her in another direction.

"You should probably head to class," Bella noticed, and opened the door for him.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Not today," she shrugged, backing down the steps from the school. He turned away from her, walking in the door, but as she turned to leave, she felt a rush of air go past her and before she knew it, an oddly warm set of lips pressed to hers. She grabbed at the copper head of hair, wrapping her fingers in the damp strands and closed her eyes tightly, willing the world that was rotating around her to feel as if it was righted, the way it did when she had kissed him once before.

Edward slowed the kiss, stroking her face gently before letting her go. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she covered it with her own, taking his bottom lip between her teeth. "I don't think I can let you go," she whispered her confession, and their foreheads pressed together, each one holding onto the other for dear life.

"Then don't," he appealed to her. For a moment she allowed herself to soak everything in. As afraid as Bella was of commitment, she was beginning to feel tinges of emotions for Edward that she had never felt before.

But then she came to the realization that being with Jasper was easy. Being with Jasper meant she could attach herself as much or as little as she wanted to. Jasper was her friend, and someone she could easily play the game with. Whereas letting Edward in meant losing control and delving into things she had promised never to enter into again, Jasper already knew her and would respect the walls he knew Bella had.

"You know I can't do that." Bella pushed back and walked quickly away from the school building.

As she turned the corner onto the sidewalk, she heard a faint voice call, "Yes you can." But instead of turning around, she kept walking, and didn't stop until she found herself upon her own doorstep.

Bella kicked off her shoes before entering, tipping them over and watching the water drain out of them. She quickly unlocked the door and made her way up the stairs to her room.

"What are you doing home early?" Renee, who had been laying on the couch in darkness, asked Bella.

"Does it really matter all that much to you?" she huffed, walking back down the stairs and towards her mother.

"Would it kill you to be cordial towards me… just every once in awhile?" Renee sat up, laying her cup of unidentified alcohol down.

"If I hadn't already had an incredibly tasking day, I wouldn't even be here in the first place. You probably haven't noticed, but I've actually been putting forth quite an effort." Bella flung her wet body down in the plush chair sitting caddy-corner to the couch Renee was lounging on.

"You're going to hate me saying this, but we get more alike day by day," Renee passed her the drink, and Bella swallowed it down, feeling the whiskey burn its way down her throat.

"Wow Renee, whiskey sours at one in the afternoon? Classy," Bella scoffed, reclining in her chair.

"You're going to ruin that chair," Renee stated matter-of-factly before disappearing into the kitchen to make another drink. "Damnit! I'm out of squirt!" Bella heard her shout, and slam the glass against the counter.

"If you give Bessie back, I'll run to the store for you," Bella called to her, trying her best to manipulate the situation. If Renee gave her back control of her vehicle, Charlie wouldn't step on her toes and take it back.

"I may be a stupid drunk, but I'm not dumb enough to let you get behind the wheel after at least two good shots of whiskey," she reappeared, this time with a beer in her hand.

"Wow, I'm actually shocked that you can still comprehend normal conversation this late in the afternoon," Bella laughed.

"Is that a smile? I don't think I've seen you smile in ages…" Renee trailed off, her eyes becoming glassy and distant.

"Don't forget to take your meds, Renee," Bella said calmly, getting up and making her way up to her bedroom.

~*~

Bella napped through the day until her phone began ringing at seven. She ignored the first texts until she realized that she had become so awake, she couldn't get back to sleep.

_I have your homework, if you want it._

_Do you want me to come pick you up tonight?_

_Bella, are you okay? _

Three texts from Jasper spanned 45 minutes, each of them being sent precisely sent 15 minutes apart from the other.

_You realize you're just about as anal as your brother, right?_ She typed, getting out of bed. She glanced in the mirror to see if she was even semi-presentable. Fortunately, she was.

_I'm trying not to be a stalker, give me credit. _Bella read his response as she wiggled her way into a dry pair of skinny jeans and a white tank.

_I'm getting dressed, Douche. _Her Chucks were still too wet to put back on, so she dug in the back of her closet for a pair of checkered Vans.

_Already on the bike. _She shrugged on a black track jacket and lumbered downstairs and out the door. On the front step she bit her lip as she realized this was her and Jasper's first time hanging out as a couple. All of a sudden she felt knots within her stomach begin to get tighter.

As the familiar sound of Jasper's bike made his presence known before Bella could see him, she felt some of the tension subside. As soon as she saw him, she felt her body calm itself out of natural reaction, Jasper was still Jasper, no matter how their relationship status had changed.

She hopped onto his bike silently, wrapping herself around his familiar body. "Hang on," he said before gunning the engine and racing down the street. Bella let out a hearty laugh, feeling the wind in her hair and being exhilarated by it. The ride to the Cullen's seemed all too short, as Bella soon found herself sliding off the bike into Jasper's waiting arms.

"You've never helped me off before," she smirked, giving him the eye.

"Well perhaps you're going to learn that I'm not a total jackass all the time, how about that?" he teased, taking her hand.

"Jasper, if you're not a total jackass all the time, I'm breaking up with you," she dead-panned. He dropped her hand and shoved her, and she slipped on the rock driveway. "What was that for?" she snarled, dusting off her jeans.

"Just insuring the well being of our relationship," Jasper laughed heartily.

"You ass," she shoved him twice as hard, but he just was caught off balance for a split-second before righting himself and walking in his normal Jasper-strut to the front porch.

Jasper led Bella into the kitchen, and immediately began raiding the fridge for a snack.

"Where's Esme?" Bella asked, sitting down and tossing her book bag onto the island.

"Reading ow somefing," Jasper replied, his mouth half full with something he had just plucked from the fridge.

"Ew, what are you eating?" Bella exclaimed, retching back from him.

"A tuna samwhich." He came over and waved it in her face.

"Oh sick! Get that thing off of me!" She jumped off her bar stool and ran around haphazardly, trying to escape Jazz and his disgusting tuna sandwich. "No!" she laughed, picking up the toaster and holding it in front of her face.

"Are you really trying to get into her pants, already Jay?" Edward pranced into the room, all pleated khakis and sweater vestly.

"What?" Bella screamed, a high pitched squeal erupting from her throat as she slammed the toaster down.

"Unlike you, if I tried, I might actually be successful," Jasper growled.

"Jasper, shut up," Bella scoffed, coming out from her hiding place and leaning on the island they now all stood around.

Jasper slumped, taking another bite of his revolting sandwich.

"Are you seriously eating that? Didn't we have those last week?" Edward asked.

"Oh, sick Jazz!" Bella laughed harmoniously, a laugh that filled the room with its ring.

"What? It's still good!" Jasper defended, waving it in the air.

"You smell like rotten fish." Bella scooted away from him, and closer to Edward.


	6. Falling Slowly

**Chapter Five: Falling Slowly**

_Falling slowly, eyes that know me_

_And I can't go back_

_Moods that take me and erase me_

_And I'm painted black_

_You have suffered enough_

_And warred with yourself_

_It's time that you won_

_Take this sinking boat and point it home_

_We've still got time_

_Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice_

_You've made it now_

"Oh Edward, fuuuuuuuuck," Bella moaned grinding her pelvis down upon the lap of his brown corduroys.

He licked his way down her neck, pausing to pay special attention to the collar bone peeking gently out of her white tank top. Edward's shaky hands made their way up her sides, holding onto her gently as she rocked back and forth on him. The stimulation was almost too much for him, his palms becoming sweaty and sticking to the fabric of her shirt. He inched his way upward, his thumbs finally finding the underside of her bra-less breasts.

"Just fucking touch them already!" she cried, pulling at the nape of his copper hair and jerking his head violently backwards.

He obliged her request, hungrily palming her with unsteady hands.

"Edward? Are you up there?" Esme's sweet voice carried up the stairs.

"Oh, shit!" Bella cursed, searching around haphazardly a place to hide.

Edward tried to disguise his heavy breathing, "Yeah Mom, what do you need?"

"Just seeing if you were home, love you." With that Esme's footsteps were heard moving toward another area of the house.

"That was close," Bella heaved, resting her forehead on Edward's shoulders.

"Too close." He pushed her off gently, yet with enough force that Bella got the point.

There was a long silent pause, as Edward turned his back to Bella and ran his hand over his scalp.

"I know this sucks," she broke the silence.

"Do you really know? I'm beginning to think this was all a part of some twisted plan." Edward turned on his heel and looked her straight in the eyes.

"You know, I'm not making you do anything you wouldn't do on your own accord, so don't blame me for something you signed up for," Bella huffed.

"I didn't sign up for shit," Edward scoffed. Although she knew it was wrong, a part of Bella began to ache, because every time Edward cursed, Bella went weak in the knees. "Don't think I can't read you Bella, and it's not going to be that easy anymore."

Embarrassed, Bella flushed before her anger began to well up. She stomped over to her sweatshirt and threw it on before launching herself down the stairs and away from Edward.

He knew that it would be fruitless, so he didn't follow her.

Bella barged into Jasper's room and threw herself on his bed, making a poor attempt to mask the fact that she was pouting. He was at his desk doing some sort of work, and it took a few moments for him to acknowledge her. "Who crossed you this time?"

"No one," she said and suddenly noticed how closely she resembled a five year old.

"You can't lie to me," Jasper answered her, pushing in his chair and sitting down on the bed next to her. She scooted over, making room for him.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Bella's stomach churned. With each and every passing day the relationship triangle between her and the Cullen boys had gotten increasingly worse. The gap between everyone was widening and Bella could feel it begin to tug at her sanity. The scales were completely unbalanced, and Bella was afraid to let them go, and risk breaking everything.

Two weeks had gone by at a snail's pace. Every minute she spent in the Cullen house seemed to be slowly draining Bella of all energy; a place that had once been her sanctuary was becoming her tomb. It became harder each moment for Bella to just tell Jasper the truth, because she had slipped up in a huge puddle of Jasper's charm that she couldn't seem to get out of. He was honestly becoming everything she could have ever asked for in a boyfriend, and yet, it wasn't making her feel in any way complete.

Jasper closed the distance between them and pulled Bella into his chest. Even as she was very thoroughly and comfortably nooking him, her mind was elsewhere.

"You know Bella, you're different," he sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"How so?" she asked, leaning back to look at him.

"More fucking aloof? I don't know." His gentle smile reassured her and she relaxed in his arms.

"Things are just different, you know me and change," she lied, snuggling back into him.

"Bella…" he said knowingly, using a finger to lightly tip her chin.

"Jasper," she chuckled lightly, giving him an Eskimo kiss, their noses barely touching.

"What the fuck was that?" Jasper laughed.

"An Eskimo kiss, you dumbass. Haven't you ever gotten one before?"

"Hell the fuck no, I don't participate in fruity shit like 'Eskimo kisses.'"

"Are you calling me fruity?" Bella pushed him away playfully, but he clung to her. His mouth  
was only inches from hers, and he moved to close the distance.

She ducked away from him expertly, settling in against his chest, where she could faintly hear his heartbeat.

"Bella," he growled throatily, causing her to shiver. "Either you really hate affection or I'm doing something wrong. Which is it?"

She paused for a split second, and unable to come up with any viable options, did what she knew best.

In moments, Bella was straddling Jasper, his hands pressed to the bed firmly over his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead was met with Bella's greedy lips on his own. She used her previous sexual frustration, channeling it through as he battled to free his hands.

Their lips broke as she laughed at him, using all her strength to force his hands back down as he struggled. "That isn't fa-"

She cut him off again, masking her insecurities with her lips.

Using all his might, he heaved her off of him, turning the tides on her completely. She found herself beneath the weight of Jasper's strong body as he peppered kisses across her lips.

Because they were brothers, Jasper and Edward's build was very similar. Unlike Edward,  
Jasper's muscle mass was more prominent. Jasper did hundreds of push-ups each night and occasionally spent time in the gym lifting weights. His arms were stronger and more defined, and Bella felt to the full strength of them upon her.

The phone in Bella's back pocket began to play 'Sex on Fire' by Kings of Leon, her ringtone for one and only person. "Jasper, hold on," she gasped for air, and tried to push him from her so she could have access to her phone.

She flipped the screen and read the message from Edward. _Knowing that you're with Jasper right now, in the same house, is killing me._ As she read his simple text, each syllable sent a pang to her chest, asking her to wake up and see what was really happening. But like a confused teenage girl, Bella slowly shut her phone and put it back in her pocket.

"What was that all about?" Jasper prodded as Bella re-situated herself underneath him.

"Just Chief seeing when I was going to be home," she shrugged, reaching for Jasper's cheek to pull him closer.

Jasper saw through her. "Wait," he stopped her, "since when does the Chief text?"

"Since I taught him to, okay? What's with the third degree? Are you going to kiss me or not?" She gave him the choice.

"Why don't you fucking make me?" he grinned his shit-eating-Jasper-Cullen-only-grin.

Bella threw herself at him, and they wrestled around for a moment before Jasper had her pinned. "Jesus, baseball must be really paying off for you, Jazz. This is the first wrestling match you've ever won. Do you guys practice stuff like this in the showers?" Bella giggled.

"Bella, you just goddamn giggled," he laughed, tickling her sides. She tried to swat him away, however fruitlessly. "And no, by the way, we do no _wrestle_ in the shower."

"Bullshit, someone drops a bar of soap and I'm sure you boys are _allllllll_ over that shit," she taunted, trying to wiggle her way away from him.

The sound of Edward playing some hauntingly beautiful song wafted into the room, breaking her from her current joking mood. "Does he seriously have to play that thing all the time?" Jasper got off Bella and stalked to his bookshelf and turned his stereo on to muffle the piano playing.

Bella's mind drifted to the long fingers gingerly pressing ivories just a few feet below, and she couldn't help but long once again for someone's touch. "Jasper, get your ass back over here," she commanded, and he needed no other instruction.

As much as Bella's heart wasn't completely in this relationship, Jasper's was also further occupied. But although his heart was set on a graceful, pixie-like freshman, his hands were groping a very hot junior and what teenage boy was going to complain about that? He got his best friend and make-out partner all in one place, and that he didn't mind.

Bella bounded down the stairs, backpack in hand, waiting for Charlie to drive both her and Alice to school.

"Alright kiddo, so here's the deal," Charlie said, coming out through the screen door. "I am late for work today, so I can't give you and Alice a ride."

Bella's smile broke out before he could even finish the thought. "Does this mean what I think it does?"

"The Big Red Beast is back in business, Bells. Don't screw this up." He tossed her the keys, made his way to the cruiser, and drove off.

She jumped up and ran back into the house, frantic. "Alice, he gave me Bessie back!" Bella made her way up the stairs two at a time, searching each room for Alice, finally finding her in the bathroom, finishing her makeup.

"I'm very glad for you," Alice strained to say while curling her eyelashes.

"Alice, have you ever heard of torture? Because right now, you're trying to stick it in your eye," Bella chuckled, leaning against the doorframe.

"Just because someone hasn't heard of cosmetic products in this house, doesn't mean we all haven't," Alice laughed, her voice twinkling and bouncing off the walls.

"I've heard of them, I just don't bother," Bella pointed, grabbing Alice's makeup bag and making a mad dash to the front door.

"Bella!" Alice screamed, trying to chase after her sister with heels.

"Shit, shit, shit," Alice heard Bella repeating, and when she turned the corner it was obvious why. Bella had tripped and ran into one of the chair rails, giving her a slight gash on her cheek.

"Oh Jesus, Bella, we were going to be fashionably late, but now we're just going to be plain ole' tardy." Alice helped Bella up, taking back her makeup bag ferociously, before playing nurse with her.

After Alice had applied some expert medical attention, and a wee bit of cover up, the girls made it to school with only seconds to spare.

As soon as Bella entered the school, she was shaken by the sound of her phone ringing. She quickly turned it to vibrate and sauntered off to her first period world lit class.

When she walked in the room, Bella was shocked to see twice the amount of students she usually did crammed into the small room. The familiar tingling settled into her stomach, and she looked around the room to see where Edward was. She found him seated in a desk next to the far wall, right next to the seat where she usually sat. His backpack was flung over her seat and she knew that he was saving it for her.

"Ms. Swan, would you please sit down?" Mrs. Sanchez remarked as she made her way towards the white board at the front of the room.

"But where?" Bella cowered, noticing Lauren and her posse of plastics taking up a large portion of the classroom.

Mrs. Sanchez scanned the room, "Over there by Edward is an empty seat."

Bella internally sighed and made her way towards Edward. She gracefully stepped over backpacks and shimmied through rows until she finally made it to her seat. He moved his bag for her and she slumped into her chair, eager for the class period to be over.

"Bella, are you wearing makeup?" he leaned over and asked. There were extra desks in the room, and the rows were basically touching. His cold breath on her ear made her shiver.

"Just a bit," she growled, trying to avert all her attention to Mrs. Sanchez and the front of the classroom.

"As I've been telling you all for a few weeks, the first hour and second hour world lit classes are getting together to do joint projects." Bella realized then that she must not have been paying much attention in class lately. And it was true, as much as she didn't like to admit it, her mind had been wandering the last few weeks. Now the object of her attention was sitting next to her, basically breathing down her neck.

"For the next two weeks these classes will be combined, and you will spend two hours each day working with your partners on the project of your choice." She began passing out the assignment paper and Bella was soon dreading her pre-determined partner. It would be just her luck to land someone like Lauren or Tanya, which would make her next two weeks a living hell. As soon as the teacher had stopped speaking, the group had erupted into a large roar, each talking to each other about the project, their weekend plans, or upcoming social events Bella wasn't interested in.

Bella's thoughts were interrupted when she heard her name, "Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen." She ignored the rest of the list, mentally relieved. She relaxed in her chair and sent a reassured smile to the boy sitting next to her, who happened to be beaming. That's when hell started to break loose.

"Hey Izzy, stop looking at my man like that," Tanya Denali spit at her. Bella turned around quickly, shooting Tanya the evil eye. "Don't think one project will put you on the level."

"My name isn't Izzy," Bella verbally pushed back from across the room. "And for the record, I don't think I could sink low enough to be 'on your level.'" Tanya was taken aback, and her bleach-blonde-brain took awhile to come up with a retort, giving Bella another chance to dig at her. "And although I don't know Edward all that well, I'm pretty sure even a good set of kneepads couldn't make him _your _man."

The class broke out in laughter as Tanya's friends tried to reassure her. Mrs. Sanchez broke up the fight before it even began. "Ms. Denali and Ms. Swan, one more word out of either of you and it's detention," she said, before giving out the final groups and telling them to break up.

Edward immediately raised his hand.

"Yes, Edward?" the teacher asked. It didn't pass over Bella's head that although Mrs. Sanchez was clearly married, that she had a soft spot for Edward. While all of the students were called Ms. Or Mr., he was always just Edward.

"Can we go to the library?" he gestured between himself and Bella.

"Sure, go right ahead," she answered, giving Bella a pointed look that said 'don't fuck this up or you're never leaving the classroom again.' Bella picked up her bag and bolted for the door, Edward trailing close behind.

When they reached the library, Bella picked a secluded table and gently set her stuff down. "Edward-" she began, but he cut her off with a kiss. Backing her into a shelf, he laced his fingers with hers and pushed them up against the books. His lips devoured her own, a kiss full of hunger and need. He suckled her bottom lip, lightly nipping at it as he moved down her neck, into the cleavage of her shirt.

"Ungh, Edward," she moaned, and he put his hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Shh, Bella. This is a library," he teased, hitching up her leg and wrapping it around his waist. She could feel how hard he was through the thin material of her worn-out jeans. She bit down on his hand as he thrust up against her, laying wet kisses over the open expanse of her chest.

Bella heard muffled voices a few rows over and she stopped Edward, hastily fixing her clothes and sitting down at the table. He took a second to adjust himself before sitting down next to her and pulling out their lit textbook.

A few moments later, Lauren Mallory rounded the corner with her partner, Ben Cheney. Ben was a good guy, one that Bella legitimately liked whether she showed it or not. Sadly, he looked like he had just been ran over by a bus, and it definitely wasn't looking up for him.

"Hi Bella, Edward," he greeted them curtly.

"Hi Ben," Edward replied, giving him a friendly nod.

"I've got my eye on you, Swan," Lauren snarled, before dragging Ben along behind her to another section of the library.

"Well, apparently I'm being watched," Bella giggled, causing Edward to break into a genuine smile. He ran his hand through her hair, stopping to cup her cheek. He desperately wanted to ask her, 'Wouldn't it be great if it was always liked this?' but he exercised his self control. He didn't want her to pull away.

"So what happened to you? This wasn't here when I saw you last night," he gently ghosted his fingers over the small gash below her eye.

"I got Bessie back." She choked back the moan that threatened to escape, just from the slightest touch of his hand on her face.

"And Bessie did this to you?'

"No, the wall did this to me." They both broke into laughter, far louder than was appropriate in the library.

When they regained their breath he mustered up all of his courage, "Meet me today afterschool instead of him? Out in the meadow?"

She smiled, "I'll be there at four."


	7. Skyway Avenue

**Chapter Six: Skyway Avenue**

_It all got so mundane__  
_

_With you I'm back again__  
_

_Just take me by the hand__  
_

_We're close__  
_

_To the edge__  
_

_  
__Blinded__  
_

_By the light__  
_

_Hold you through forever__  
_

_Won't let you go___

'_Cause if you jump I will jump too__  
_

_We will fall together_

Bella was walking toward the cafeteria for lunch period, when she found Alice hunched over just outside its double doors. "Alice?" she asked, extending a hand and rubbing her sister's back lightly.

Alice raised her head, and revealed the tears running down her cheeks. "Bella, will you take me home?"

"Tell me what happened." Bella took Alice's hand, rubbing it gently within her own. Although she appeared to be hard and emotionless to most people, she had a soft spot that yearned to protect her younger sister.

"Mike Newton," Alice gritted before letting out another sob.

A fire was ignited within Bella as soon as those three syllables escaped Alice's lips. "Hold on." Bella gave her a quick hug before she left Alice, bursting through the doors of the cafeteria with a loud slam. People turned to see what was going on, causing a hush to fall upon the crowd. She immediately spotted Mike at his normal table in the center of the room, like he was the king of Forks High and seated upon his lap was his prize vermin. Tanya Denali, in all her exposed roots, fake tan glory sat on his lap like it was a throne. The whole table was snickering together and Bella marched over to them without a plan.

Out of instinct, she immediately dug her fingers into Tanya's blonde tresses, pulling her out of Newton's lap by her hair, and flung her onto the hard linoleum of the cafeteria floor.

Tanya landed with a thud upon her elbows. "Are you crazy?" she screamed, trying to get up off the floor.

Bella's only response was a strong kick to her stomach.

Tanya gasped for air, curling into a ball on the ground. No one came to her aid, afraid of the damage Bella might cause them too. Bella was notorious for taking absolutely no shit from anyone, and had a reputation that spoke volumes about what she was capable of doing.

"You're such a worthless slut, just like your sister," Mike finally spoke up, causing Bella to swivel around quickly.

Before she could even take a step towards him, Edward appeared like a blur, her knight in shining pocket protector, there to save her from injustice. Suddenly her whole life seemed to be moving in fast-forward as Edward grabbed Mike's collar and shook him, "What was that you said, Mike?"

"Edward, don't." Bella tried fruitlessly to stop him from becoming involved. Bella had nothing to lose, while Edward had everything. His perfect record could be tainted by even the littlest stain, and Edward was worth far more than that.

He turned to look at her, and as he did Mike took his chance, landing a punch straight on his jaw, hurling Edward backwards. Edward stumbled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth down his chin.

Jasper was hurdling tables, trying to get to the scene as quickly as possible, but he wasn't quick enough to get there before Mike had landed another knuckle straight into Edward's left eye, cracking his glasses, and sending the pieces flying everywhere.

Mike screamed, glass piercing his hand. Edward made no sound, trying to regain his composure, standing up and taking one disoriented step back. Jasper threw his jacket down and flew at Mike, knuckles on fire as he hit him repeatedly, screams reverberating off the walls of the lunchroom. "Don't you dare fucking say that about my girls," Jasper growled.

"Jasper, stop," Bella ran past Edward and tried pulling Jasper off of Mike who was laid flat on the lunch table, barely conscious. Jasper stepped away, throwing poignant looks at all of Mike's friends before grabbing his jacket off the floor and making his way out the lunch room.

Students looked at them in fear as Bella grabbed Edward, leading him out the double doors on a straight bee-line to the nurse's office directly behind Jasper.

Alice quickly joined them, "I can't believe you all did that…"

"Alice, let's not talk about it right now," Bella threw back at her, focusing most of her attention on the amount of blood streaming down Edward's face.

"But that was so cool, how you went in there and kicked his ass!" Alice exclaimed.

Jasper turned around suddenly, "Bella went in for you, Edward went in for Bella, for God only knows what reason, and I went in there because Edward was doing a shit job of defending Bella."

Edward looked up at his brother, "Shut the hell up Jasper, you know he took cheap shots, there wasn't much I could do."

"Yeah Jasper, shut the fuck up, he stood up for me." Bella asserted herself, standing up for Edward, and standing up to Jasper. Bella led Edward into the nurse's office, leaving Jasper and Alice in the hallway as pride surged through Edward's entire body.

"What happened here?" the nurse asked as she put something down and came to look at Edward's facial injuries with concern.

"He got punched in the lunch room. Is he okay?" Bella asked.

"I'm right here and I'm fine," Edward reassured her.

"Take a seat," the nurse told him, going to grab a flash light and some gloves.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, go find Jasper and your sister. I'll still see you later?" Even through one was already bruising, she could see the hope in his eyes.

She smiled, "Of course you will."

~*~

After all punishments were handed out, Bella ended up with two Saturday detentions, Jasper had a week's in-school suspension and would be sitting out two baseball games, and Mike landed two week's suspension. Edward wasn't penalized for standing up for Bella, taking a huge weight of guilt off of Bella's shoulders. After school, she silently dropped off Alice and headed directly to her meadow.

When she pulled off the road, she recognized Edward's Volvo and sprinted up the path. She caught him lying down in the soft grass, face to the sun. The sky was fairly clear for a Forks day, but the air still felt a little damp.

"Took you long enough," he smirked, flinching after realizing he was still hurt.

"Does it still feel pretty bad?" she asked, sitting down beside him and lightly cupping his cheek in her palm.

"Not anymore." He opened his eyes, and Bella couldn't resist but lean down to lay a light kiss first on his bruised jaw and then his perfectly healthy lips.

"Did you tell Esme what happened, yet?" she questioned between the kisses she was peppering over his injuries.

"The school called and told her the logistics of what happened, but I haven't talked to her yet. She's tried to call me a few times, but I really wasn't ready to explain it."

"Charlie's going to kill me. I just got Bessie back today and then I go and ruin it," Bella sighed.

"Come here." He opened his arms for her and she rested her head atop his chest, feeling the rise and fall with each breath. Her hair cascaded around her like a halo and he ran a soothing hand through it. "It'll be fine, you were just sticking up for your sister. I'm sure she's very proud of you."

"You'd stick up for Jasper just like you stuck up for me, wouldn't you?" she asked quietly, not quite sure of the answer.

"Of course I would… now if he would extend the same courtesy, I'm not so sure." Edward seemed defeated.

She took his hand in hers, "He would. I know he would. Jasper's all about the front he puts up, but deep down he cares. You know that the resentment is not so thick that he would let you go down without doing anything."

"I hope you're right." He kissed her hand, and then placed their interlaced hands on his chest.

"Can we just forget that it happened and pretend that nothing's wrong for awhile?" Bella asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

"I thought you'd never ask." He mimicked her actions, propping himself up on his elbow and leaning in to capture her lips with his own.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Bella licked his bottom lip before gently taking it between her teeth and nibbling on it softly.

"Anything," he smiled, his crooked, injured smile.

She leaned in so that her lips were ghosting over the lobe of his ear. "You look pretty hot right now, and I bet it's going to get better when that shiner starts turning black and blue." She licked the outer edge of his ear, blowing cool air on it immediately after.

"Is that right?" He kissed down the side of her neck, then helped her so she was lying on her back on the ground, with him suspended above her. He unzipped her jacket to expose the skin that peeked out above her tank. It had ridden up a little and he made his way down her torso, laying hot open-mouthed kisses on her stomach.

Bella wished she had brought a blanket, as the slightly damp grass started to soak through her clothes. "Do you have a blanket or something?" she asked in between gasps.

"I have one back in the Volvo… are you getting cold?" His lips stopped for a moment as he met her eyes with concern.

"Sort of," she admitted.

"Shit," he muttered beneath his breath.

"I am such a bad influence on you," Bella laughed.

"Darn straight you are."

"Okay, so maybe I still have some work to do," she teased, making fun of his use of 'darn.'

"We can't go to my house… because the Spanish Inquisition will be there. And my brother…" he was trying to brainstorm ideas.

"And we can't go to my house because of the drunk, the chief, and the pixie," she responded.

"Well I guess we have to get creative," Edward pondered, lying on his back beside her.

"How big of a backseat does the Volvo have?" Bella rolled over and looked at him, expectantly.

"Decent sized? Am I going to be judged by the inadequacies of the backseat of my vehicle?" he teased.

"Let's go." She jumped up, helping him up before running back down the path to where their vehicles were parked. He unlocked the car quickly and they both slid into the backseat, before she closed the spaced between them and wildly threw herself at him.

Soon both of their jackets were off, flung haphazardly somewhere within the car, and his hands were playing with the hemline of her shirt. She left his lips long enough to tell him to take the damn thing off, and quickly glued her mouth back to his. His hands were getting sweaty, and he had problems shimmying the shirt up and she finally gave up, pulling the shirt over her head and flinging it into the front seat.

Edward had never seen so much of Bella, especially not in this way. The only thing that stood between him seeing his first set of real boobs, was the black lace bra she still had on.

She saw the way he was looking at her chest, like it was a hearty meal to be devoured. "Have you ever taken a bra off before?" she asked gently, trying not to embarrass him.

"No," he answered truthfully, a blush rising to his cheeks.

She smiled, before giving him instructions. "Reach around me and unclasp it."

Edward's hands made their way up the delicate curve of her back, finding the back of her bra and easily unclasping it. "Was that it?" he asked.

She laughed a loud laugh, "Was it not exciting enough for you?"

"No! I just always thought it'd be harder," he stated, smugly.

"Well, you're a natural." Her tone automatically changed from laughing at him, to breathy as he slid the bra off her shoulders, exposing her.

For a moment, Bella let her insecurities get the best of her and she tried to cross her arms across her chest. He stilled her, "Bella, you're beautiful." The sincerity in his eyes awed her, as he gently inched his way toward the perfect curve of the underside of her breast. She took a deep breath as soon as he made contact, his large hand touching her like she was fragile and breakable, and most of all, beautiful. Soon, he was using both hands, causing Bella to let out pleasurable moans.

He laid her down on the seat, as he kissed his way down her collar and in the space of her cleavage. When he took one nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue around her it, she lifted her hips off of the seat. "Does this feel good?" he asked.

She slowly taught him each and every way she enjoyed her chest to be touched in the backseat of his Volvo, with the windows covered thick with fog.

~*~

Bella tried to close the front door quietly, but Charlie's super-sonic ears heard even the smallest household disturbance, and she was soon being seated on the couch alongside Alice.

"Girls, I would like to hear your version of what happened today," he said in his best chief-like voice.

Alice piped up first, "Mike Newton made a complete fool of me and Bella went in and stood up for me."

"Is that how it happened, Bella?" Charlie questioned.

"Yes," she responded curtly.

"Do you have anything to add?" he asked further.

"Nope," Bella said, playing with her thumbs and staring at the floor.

"So how is it that you ended up with Saturday detention?" he grilled further, pacing the floor in front of her.

"I pulled Tanya Denali off of his lap by her weave and tossed her onto the floor where she belongs… happy?" Bella snapped, standing up in defiance.

"Bella, he just wants to know what happened." Alice pulled her back down by her wrist, holding onto her hand and stroking the top of it reassuringly.

Bella obliged her, sitting down in a huff, the familiar cushions of the couch giving way underneath her.

"Sorry. It's just been an emotional day, Dad. I just need some time to myself," Bella said, clenching her jaw and using a term of endearment for Charlie that she rarely called him by.

"There should be repercussions for your actions Bella, but since you did it in defense of your sister, I'm going to let it slide this one time." Bella was shocked at the stance Charlie had taken in the situation. He would never under any circumstances let something like this slide if it hadn't been for the benefit of her sister.

"Are you serious?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Is it so hard to comprehend that I can be somewhat lenient every now and then?" The Chief cracked a smile.

"Yes, in fact it is," Bella laughed, and Alice tried her best to stifle a giggle.

"I can be… hip." The sisters couldn't help but break out in hysterical laughter as soon as he said it, but Charlie kept a defensive expression on his face.

"Really Dad, do you think that you're 'hip?'" Alice asked, using her best air quotes.

"Yeah Chief, you are the macho man in town, you don't want to let your guard down or someone might bamboozle you," Bella stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah, you just might get hoodwinked," Alice managed to choke out as she tried to breath between laughs.

"You both can just go to your rooms," Charlie tried hard not to smile, keeping his tough façade, but a small smirk broke through the corner of his lips. Bells and Alice made their way up the stairs, still breaking down with giggles. As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, Alice went into her room and Bella followed, flopping backwards onto the soft, dark purple comforter.

"What a day," she let out.

"You're telling me. In one day I have my first break up, watch my sister beat up Tanya Denali, which by the way was the highlight of my life, and hear Dad try to tell us he is _hip_," Alice danced around the room, putting things away that she had neglected after getting ready for school in the morning.

"I didn't really beat her up, I just ripped out half of her damn weave," Bella laughed, letting herself enjoy the moment.

"You know that you are pretty much the hottest chick in school after that, don't you?" Alice asked, lying down on the bed next to her.

"Alice, you've got to be kidding me. No one will ever look at me like that," she scoffed, shaking off the notion.

"No, I'm serious! I heard so many guys in the hallway talking about how hot chick fights were. Besides, you have Jasper, so don't even go there…" Alice trailed off.

"You really like him, don't you?" Bella asked, rolling over to look into her sister's eyes.

"Is it that obvious?" Alice chewed her bottom lip.

"Sort of," she smiled in response.

"But he's your boyfriend… isn't that weird?"

"Nope, he's been my best friend far longer than my boyfriend and honestly, it's not working out all that well," Bella admitted, playing with Alice's perfect black hair with one hand.

"Are you going to break up with him?" Alice asked quietly.

"As soon as I figure out how to, yeah," Bella confessed not only to Alice, but to herself. She realized that she could no longer fool anyone with this false relationship. And if Alice and Jasper were meant to be, then they should have a chance at it, without her in the way.

~*~

Two weeks later and Bella had still not mustered the courage to tell Jasper that it was over. He seemed increasingly attached to his surprising need to be a good boyfriend. Since the episode in the car, Bella and Edward had kept their relationship simply platonic, each one silently waiting until the relationship between Jasper and Bella was over. They had spent nearly almost all of their free time together, working on and polishing their project until it was as near perfect as any English teacher could ever ask for. They were ideal partners, sharing each of the work equally and with the same amount of seriousness.

Often Edward felt like projects were simple excuses for people to ride his coattails to a good grade, but with Bella, he was constantly challenged to do even better work than he had performed in a long while. He was making finishing touches on their fifteen-page in-depth about the book 'Cry the Beloved Country,' while Bella had her brow furled in concentration as she proof-read their PowerPoint presentation for the third time.

"Are you sure you don't need some help over there?" Edward chuckled. He had been staring at Bella's stern expression for some time, watching for subtle nuances like when she would bite her lip before attacking the keyboard with ferocity, obviously fixing some 'mistake.' It was obvious that their project had no more simple errors, Bella's OCD was just causing her to constantly rephrase things she wasn't fully happy with.

After a few moments, Bella realized Edward had spoken, and she came out of her trance, "Did you say something?"

He grinned, "Are you sure you don't need any help? You're been giving that screen the stink eye for over twenty minutes."

"Yeah, actually, could you re-read the presentation one last time to make sure everything sounds okay?" she asked, meekly, bringing her laptop over to him.

He took the computer from her, placing it in front of him on his bed. All of their research materials were spread out upon his desk, as he triple-checked that their bibliography included each and every one. "You know, you really should be more confident with your work, it's brilliant."

Bella blushed a bright red that Edward rarely saw. She could never take a compliment easily, and he knew that it was at least partially due to her past, the past he still knew nothing about.

"Thank you," she finally nodded, moving a book over so she could take a spot on the bed. She waited impatiently for him to re-examine the presentation.

He concentrated hard, his green eyes nearly burning a hole through the laptop as he scanned everything for any sight of an imperfection. He found nothing, only one of the most intriguing and well-rounded arguments he had ever seen. Bella had done a fantastic job. "You continually amaze me," Edward said, passing the computer back to her.

"Okay, stop right now, or I will be forced to throw up," she laughed, trying to cover up the pride he saw surging through her entire being. He felt the urge to kiss her, but he held back, instead, fumbling through a stack of papers just so that he could put them back in order. Slowly, he took all the books and papers off of his bed, making a pile on the floor.

"Well Ms. Swan I do believe we are done," Edward felt his normal surge of accomplishment flow through him.

"You really get off on this homework thing, don't you?" Bella teased, taking off her hoodie, exposing more of her porcelain flesh than Edward had seen in weeks. He took a quick breath in, steeling himself for the feelings of want that immediately began flooding through him.

She had meant it as an innocent gesture, but as soon as she saw the reaction she was giving Edward, she snickered, closing the distance between them.

"Bella, I…" he began, trying to explain their two week drought, but when she reached out and touched his forearm with her searing hot fingers, he was undone. Edward yanked her towards him, sinking his fingers into her hair. He had missed the feel of her silken chestnut locks, but he had been doing so well with his preservations, which was now crashing around him with little effort from Bella.

"Edward, I need you to kiss me. Will you?" she asked, shockingly vulnerable in a way she had never been to him. In the midst of the project, he hadn't noticed, but now saw that she had let him into her mind, if only a little. She had let him see into her thought process, and he now understood how she thought things through, carefully mulling them over internally and trying them out before sharing them with anyone.

Edward was gaining on her resistance, and he could feel the palpable bounds he had crossed, even in the short amount of time. Even while she was still dating his brother, she was beginning to show him who she really was. Not explicitly, but he hoped that one day that would come.

Edward didn't dare refuse her any longer, as he took all distance away between them, molding their bodies together like two perfectly fitting puzzle pieces, and crashing his lips to hers. She moaned as their tongues touched for the first time in weeks, interplaying between their mouths.

"God Bella, you have no idea what you do to me," he broke the kiss panting, and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Can I help?" she asked, using one hand to feel the front of his trousers. He need not reply as she immediately found the strain of his willing erection, and groped it through the too-stiff fabric of his pants. "I haven't tasted you in so long," Bella purred into his ear, finding the button and zipper of his pants, undoing them both, and pushing him back against his bed.

"Lay down," she commanded, and he complied, slack-jawed, eyes full of lust and the recognition that she was going to give him a great gift. The gift of her mouth on his dick, every 17-year-old boy's dream. She had given him many blow-jobs in their times together, spanning almost a year now, but never once in his bed. This was one of Edward's biggest wet dreams, one of the things he thought about constantly, causing him to rub-one-out almost twice a day, every day.

He was awakened from his daydream to the feel of Bella's mouth slowly sinking itself down upon his length. There were no coherent thoughts worth thinking that didn't have something to do with how it felt to have her lips on him.

She raked her teeth ever so gently down his shaft, causing him to cry out her name. When she bobbed back up, she swirled her tongue over his head, tasting the precum. He moaned, bucking his his hips off the bed.

Bella looked up towards his face, and he was staring at her in reverence. The look in Edward's green eyes had her flustered, and she paused for a second, smirking, before renewing her actions with fervor.

After he finished in her mouth, he sprawled out on the bed, a look of contentment on his face. She crawled up him, settling down, her head comfortably resting on his chest.

**A/N**

**My twitter… RebeccaKayLove**

**Forum…** http://www(dot)twilighted(dot)?f=44&t=5870&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

**I've done a really bad job of fic rec'ing lately, and there are sooo many people who deserve my shout-outs.**

**What's Lust Got to Do With It is a story by My Hubby is no Edward, and it is fantastic. It's definitely my guilty pleasure these days. Read it if you love some Emmett/Bella action. **

**Secondly, To See What I Have Seen by RainerNight. Her little tale of dueling music stores has me sooo pumped for more. Did I mention that her Edward has a labret piercing and plugs? Yes, my heart just went pitter-patter.**

**My beta and I are hosting a contest on called "The Littlest Peen" :) Have you ever got tired because all of the men in fic are hung like horses? Well, not anymore. We want IttyBittyWard. **

**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~thelittlestpeen**

**Don't forget to nominate/vote/read everything that's going on Indies. I was nominated once upon a time for another story and it made my life. **

**http://www(dot)theindietwificawards(dot)com/**

**Okay, okay, enough of me. Review? :)**


	8. We Won't Run

_A/N:__My beta gets all the credit... jadedandboring. Love her. Also, thank to Kris.. . for actually getting me to post this._

_Chapter title is We Won't Run by Sarah Blasko._

_SM owns all things Twilight, I just gave Jasper a bike, Edward a book, and Bella some issues :) _

_Twitter= RebeccaKayLove_

Chapter Seven: We Won't Run

_Pages turning_

_Lights are burning_

_See what you could not see_

_It's plain as the day_

_The night makes you pay_

_For what was hidden underneath_

_  
__Longing to leave_

_But begging to feel that_

_Something will make you stay_

_Gotta believe that this all leads_

_Somewhere we've never been_

Bella logged into her blog, BrownEyedGirl, and did something she hadn't done in a long time: wrote. She typed out three quick sentences before becoming frustrated, clicking submit quickly, and walking away from her computer.

_I still see your face when I close my eyes to sleep._

_I blame her._

_The things that defined my childhood now dictate all I do._

The morning of the presentation, Bella swallowed her pride and asked Alice for her help. Magically, she quaffed Bella until she looked polished and professional, her outfit composed of a black pencil skirt and ruffled white top. She didn't chance falling in the slick weather, wearing simple black flats.

"Are you sure I look okay?" she asked, looking into the mirror, adjusting a curl hanging over her shoulder. Alice had given her a very elegant side pony, and the curls cascaded over her shoulder, each of them lying perfectly.

"Stop messing with it!" Alice growled, rushing to get herself ready for school.

"I'm nervous!" Bella replied, getting flustered long before they even left the house.

"You're going to need to calm down. You and Edward spent so much time together making that project perfect. With his genius and your literary prowess, I'm sure that you're going to ace this presentation," Alice reassured her, stopping to stroke her arm gently. She went about putting some sort of product into her hair, before clapping her hands together, apparently content with the way she looked. "How did you do it, by the way?" she asked.

"Do what?" Bella responded, puzzled.

"Spend so much time with Edward without jumping him... I mean, out of the twins, he's not necessarily my first pick, but he is pretty adorable, in a geeky way." Alice pouted at the mirror, putting on some lip gloss before grabbing her book bag and flittering out the room.

Bella followed her, flinging her green canvas messenger bag over her shoulder.

"Don't forget a jacket, Bella. White tops and rain don't mix," Alice threw back to Bella from downstairs.

Bella grumbled, going to her closet and looking for a jacket that was more than just a plain hoodie. Unfortunately, her search was in vain. "Alice, I've got nothing," she shouted, searching through the array of garments in her closet once more.

Alice dashed up the stairs. "Bella, Bella, Bella," Alice tsked. She looked through the closet once, huffing, before exiting the room. Bella followed close behind and watched as Alice began throwing things out of her closet. "Bella, the problem here is that your torso is longer than mine, and so if I give you a tailored jacket, it will be disproportionate to your figure."

"Huh?" Bella asked, astounded. "English please?"

"No sister of mine should be this fashion illiterate," Alice grumbled, thrusting a military jacket in Bella's general direction. Bella put it on and immediately fell in love with it. "I take it you like it," Alice beamed.

"Like it? Who knew you had something this cool in your wardrobe!" Bella laughed, running her hands over the thick material.

"We're officially going on a shopping excursion. You, me, and Dad's card. Tomorrow," Alice shut the closet door, ignoring the huge pile of clothes now on the floor.

"Chief is not just going to give over his card without a fight," Bella raised an eyebrow, grabbing her bag and heading out the room, down the stairs.

"That's what you think," Alice said, following her out the front door.

At school, Bella garnered a great deal of attention from very odd sources. From the minute she walked into the door, she could feel eyes plastered upon her like she was the newest circus freak show.

The only eyes that mattered, a set of emerald green, observed her carefully from behind his brand-new glasses. Twins to his old pair, the thick black rims were polished and matched his pristinely ironed slacks. He wore a button-up green shirt that matched his eyes underneath a tailored black vest. He ducked his way into their classroom, slipping into his usual seat next to the wall without causing too much fuss.

"Your woman looks like a human being today," Lauren slithered over, draping an arm across his chair.

"She's not my woman," Edward replied carefully, wishing that the words coming from his lips weren't true. His mind immediately was drawn to thoughts of walking into school with Bella, hand in hand, and how shocked everyone would be. The truth was, no matter how much physical attention he gave Bella, and how close they were slowly becoming, she was still his brother's girl. "You know she's with my brother."

"You know Edward," she slinked down into the seat next to his, Bella's seat, "I heard that, but lately it doesn't seem like Bella gives your brother any attention at all."

"Oh really?" He tried to sound genuinely surprised, but he knew it was the truth. They had spent every spare moment on their project, and even Esme found it odd that Bella had pulled so far away from Jasper.

"Yeah, that's right," her head bobbed up and down while her tongue carefully made out each word. Her pitiful attempts at being 'sexy' didn't rile Edward, he knew what he wanted, and that was a beautiful girl still somewhere in the hallway.

Like an angel, Bella made her appearance into the classroom at the perfect time. She walked straight over to her seat, a small smile on her face, "That's my seat," she said simply, barely looking at Lauren.

"Oh Bella, hey! I was just telling Edward how _great_I found it that you two have made such _special_ friends in each other," Lauren's tone was thick with sarcasm, but her face was plastered in a fake, sickeningly-sweet grin.

Bella's nails clicked menacingly on the hardwood top of the desk, "Do you really want to make a scene right now, or are you going to get up and leave my lit partner and myself alone?"

Lauren got up, giving Bella room to sit down, then bent down threateningly close to Bella's ear and whispered, "I have a sense you're more than just _lit_partners, and if I find out you are..." The warning trailed off as the teacher entered the room. Lauren backed up a few steps. "You'll be sorry," she hissed before making her way back across the room to her normal seat.

"What was that all about?" Bella turned to ask Edward and he shrugged his shoulders. She drank in the sight of him, looking polished, yet far less geeky than she had ever seen him. He had magically gone from total geek, to a hot professional. He could tell she was unabashedly checking him out, and he smiled his token grin. "We're gonna nail this shit," she said smugly, looking ahead at the Ms. Sanchez who had begun giving out final reminders about the presentations.

It was a few moments before Bella's pocket began to vibrate. She reached for her phone, cautiously opening it so as the teacher wouldn't notice.

_In more ways than one. -E_

Bella sank a bit in her seat, nervously, thinking to herself, 'Did he really just have the balls to do that?' She knew that she couldn't come that close to anyone physically, not just Edward, but God did she want to rip off his clothes and fuck him right there in front of anyway.

_Dream on, Cullen. -B_

She typed shakily, and she knew he could tell; the grin on his face seemed to be getting wider with every passing second. Group after group gave mediocre presentations, but the only thing Bella could focus on was the heat pooling between her legs, radiating from the boy sitting next to her.

_You look beautiful when you flush like that, Bella. -E_

She opened the text, her eyes opening wide in utter shock. When had Edward become so forward? And so damn fuckhot? It had to have been recently, because, as hot as he had been before, this newfound confidence was making him irresistible. Bella longed to launch herself onto this desk, rip open her blouse, and ask him to ravage her. Something that Bella had never felt before.

_Edward Anthony, we're talking after class. -B_

That's when she saw him, out of the corner of his eye, adjust himself ever so slightly. She loved that she had this sort of power over him, the way that one simple text could turn the tide. She wasn't ready to swim anytime soon, but for the first time, she felt as though she was close to floating.

_You know my middle name? I'd like to hear you moan it. -E_

Bella came undone, literally. Her chest heaved so violently that the top button of her top came unbuttoned. Edward stared and the inch of newly exposed cleavage, sucking on his bottom lip. Bella's eyes wanted to roll into the back of her head.

Bella had been unaware that this entire exchange had happened in the middle of a packed was classroom, until they themselves were being called up to give their presentation. Edward noticed the way she became instantly nervous and longed to reach out and grab her hand, give her a hug, do anything to show her that it was going to be okay. But if he did, he knew that she'd run out of the classroom and never come back. Bella wasn't ready for that, but he hoped that one day soon she would be.

Their presentation was flawless. As soon as Bella heard Edward's harmonious voice, she immediately calmed down, tuning into him and only him. She did her part of the presentation without a single mistake or misstep, and it was because she forgot anyone else was there but herself and Edward. They juggled points back and forth, equally sharing the information they had collected, along with their own ideas and thesis. When they were nearly done, Edward took in the looks on their faces, all the students were taken aback, while Ms. Sanchez grinned with pride.

As they finished, the whole class clapped, and it was obvious their project had been the best in the bunch. They passed a look between each other, which outwardly appeared to be a friendly smile, but inwardly communicated so much more. It communicated an understanding. Edward had always known Bella was intelligent, but he now knew she was more than intelligent, she was his equal. And Bella knew that she should never feel ashamed, because Edward knew what she was really about, and he didn't feel the need to make her feel uncomfortable because of it. Bella knew literature. It was what she had always known, and there was no shame in her love for the written word.

As soon as class was over, Bella hurriedly made her way to the back entrance of the school. She was in desperate need of a cigarette, and some peace and quiet with which to clear her head of the compulsive thoughts of one super-geek, Edward Cullen.

Bursting through the double-doors, she took the stairs in stride, walking to a secluded area in which she usually enjoyed a cigarette on seemingly nice days. Her new jacket didn't have the ample pocket room that her usual hoodie did, and she held her pack of Marlboro 54's in her hand.

As soon as she lit up, Bella could sense eyes watching her. She turned around and found a wide-eyed Jasper, shamelessly checking her out. "Jasper, quit, it's creepy," she chastised, taking a drag of her cigarette.

"To check out the fine ass of your own girlfriend? Nope... I'd call that my God-given right." He grabbed one of his own cigarettes, placed it between his lips and lit up, cocky as could be.

"Yeah, Jasper, about that," and as soon as she had finally worked up the inner-confidence to tell Jasper that she didn't really have romantic feelings for him, he started backing away.

"Oh shit Bella, gotta get to class!" he hustled away. Bella made no attempt to chase after him, her outfit instantly seeming to be too-tight and uncomfortable. She wiggled around, pulling the skirt down a little, and straightening out some of the top's buttons.

"You look fine Bella," the second Cullen brother to interrupt her smoking break soon emerged through the trees.

"Jesus, you scared me," she jumped a little. "What are you doing out here?"

"I came to find you, to congratulate you on how amazing you were back there," he smiled, a genuine smile that made Bella's world feel a little off-kilter.

"Well thank you Edward, you were great too." She dropped the cigarette to the ground, putting it out with her shoe. She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, not knowing what to say next.

He reached out to touch her, and she felt the heat begin to flow within her. This is what he did to her, each and every time his hands graced her. She reached up and cupped his face gently, treading on the thin ice that was her resolve to not push him up against a tree and molest him. She had done that before, numerous times, but their relationship had changed since then. As much as she wanted him, it was now about more than just a physical relationship, she had let him in.

As soon as Bella realized it, she recoiled, shaking her hand as if it were burnt. "What have you done to me?" she asked.

"Bella, I..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Edward, you rearrange everything. My life worked the way it was." She stumbled back, hitting a root and nearly tumbling to the ground.

He was immediately at her side, helping her regain her balance. "You've done the same thing to me," he said so quietly that she could barely make it out.

"I don't know what to do," she replied honestly. His chin fell and they were now forehead to forehead, each set of eyes searching the other's for answers.

"Tell me you're done with him," Edward pleaded.

"It's not that easy," she pressed, closing her eyes and relishing the feel of him against her. It felt like he was reaching the breaking point. Either giving himself over to her, or taking himself away, and as Jasper refused to talk with her, she was still with the wrong brother.

He sighed, kissing her forehead before pulling away from her. He cradled her cheek in his palm for just a second longer, before backing away and looking towards the ground. "Bella, I can't do this anymore."

"Can't do this?" Bella questioned barely above a whisper. "What is this, anyway?"

"I don't know." His hand ran through his hair, causing it to fly in all sorts of directions. If she had ever been jealous of a hand, she was jealous of that hand. Because in that moment all she wanted was to run her hand through his copper strands, and comfort him in any way she could.

She asked the question they had both been dreading. "Is this goodbye?"

_A/N:__Review, review, review! I love all of your ideas/theories :)_


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